XINHUA

“High-level” authorities from Mexico and the United States will hold a meeting to strengthen cooperation in the fight against organized crime, Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary (SRE) Marcelo Ebrard announced on Friday, Nov. 29.

“We both have to work together: better cooperation, better results,” Ebrard said.

This week, Mexico will welcome a U.S. delegation headed by Attorney General William Barr.

The announcement of the meeting comes on the heels of an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that he planned to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

According to U.S. media, if Mexican cartels are designated as terrorist organizations, the United States would be able to freeze cartel assets and expel cartel members and associates from the country.

Since March, Trump has been saying that he was seriously considering including Mexican cartels on the list of terrorist organizations.

The issue became more prominent after a family of Mormons, many of whom held U.S. citizenship, was attacked by a cartel in Mexico on Nov. 4, which left nine people dead, including six children.