Mexico Transfers 37 Cartel Members to US Amid Trump’s Increasing Campaign Against Drug Smuggling

The Justice Department assured Mexico it would not seek the death penalty.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum presents a new security strategy against violence for Michoacan state at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Nov. 9, 2025. Claudia Rosel/AP Photo

Mexico transferred 37 members of drug cartels to the United States Tuesday amid increasing pressure from President Donald Trump to crack down on drug smuggling.

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced the move in a post on X, underscoring that the individuals were “high-impact criminals” who “represented a real threat to the country’s security.”