Trump compares cartels to ISIS during roundtable on anti-drug offensive

President Donald Trump on Thursday compared drug cartels to ISIS, calling them "the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere," during a White House roundtable discussion with senior officials on the results of what he described as "a sweeping, unprecedented, and historically successful operation" against foreign criminal organizations operating in the United States.

During the meeting, Trump celebrated the work of the Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF), created on January 20, his first day back in office, through the executive order "Protecting the American People from Invasion." That order provided for the creation of joint teams in every state to root out narco-trafficking, violent gangs, and human trafficking networks.

"We're here today to discuss a sweeping, unprecedented, and historically successful operation [...] to arrest, prosecute and permanently remove members of foreign drug cartels from American soil," Trump said.

"And the people gathered around this table are the ones who are doing it."

Thousands of arrests and historic seizures

According to the information provided, the task forces became fully operational in late August and have already made more than 3,000 arrests, including members of organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel, MS-13 and the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation.

In total, the operations led to the recovery of more than 2 million fentanyl pills, 70 tons of other drugs, $3 million in cash, and more than 1,000 illegal weapons. Trump assured that the number of arrests continues to rise and that, since January, his administration has recorded more than 120,000 arrests related to organized crime and illegal immigration.

Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson stressed that "the American people are safer today because of the HSTFs, which are just getting started."

"The cartels are the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere"

During the roundtable, the president compared criminal organizations to international terrorist groups, describing them as "a direct threat to our national security."

"The cartels are the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere," he said. "In addition to their monstrous violence, such as cutting off heads and burning their enemies alive, and burning innocent people alive, too, by the way. They maintain vast arsenals of weapons and soldiers, and they use extortion, murder, and kidnapping to exercise political and economic control."

The meeting was held as the U.S. military conducts naval operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific against vessels linked to criminal organizations, part of the Administration's broader effort to dismantle transnational networks by force.