Calls to Label Mexican Cartels as Terror Groups as They Grow Stronger, More Violent

Mexican soldiers leave the scene of a crime where a man was killed by suspected cartel gun fire in downtown Tijuana, Mexico, on April 21, 2019. Guillermo Arias / AFP

WASHINGTON—The homicide rate in Mexico is rising at record-setting pace this year, with more than 30,000 murders in the first seven months.

It’s on target to hit almost 51,500 deaths by year’s end—about 1,000 more than in 2018 and 6,000 more than in 2017. That’s not accounting for the huge number of disappearances.