An Update on U.S.-Mexico Firearms Trafficking

In February 2025, the State Department designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) as part of a broader push from the Trump administration taking aim at organized crime in the Western Hemisphere. While U.S. rhetoric has continually stressed the threat posed by Mexican cartels, an overlooked component in this narrative is the fact that U.S. guns comprise the overwhelming majority of cartel arsenals. Still, the use of FTO designations opens new avenues for prosecuting firearms traffickers, most notably through the use of material support for terrorism charges. In this episode, Henry Ziemer sits down with Jake Steisel, Senior Staff Attorney at Global Action on Gun Violence. Together, they analyze trends in U.S. firearms trafficking dynamics, as well as the legal implications of recent FTO designations and recent indictments of suspected gun traffickers. They also discuss the steps the United States and Mexico can take together to curb the supply of weapons to cartels.