Montenegro Announces Ballot Initiative on Designating Cartels as Terror Organizations

Speaker of the House Steve Montenegro (R-29) recently announced that the people of Arizona will be able to vote next year on designating the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations under state law.

In February, Speaker Montenegro introduced House Bill 2855, which would also designate the cartels as terrorist organizations and authorize the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to engage in all actions necessary to counter them. However, Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) vetoed a previous version of the bill in 2023, arguing that AZDOHS lacks the authority to do so.

Undeterred, Speaker Montenegro simultaneously introduced House Concurrent Resolution 2055, the measure placing the decision to designate the cartels as terrorist organizations in the hands of Arizonans.

HCR2055 has since passed, and voters will answer the question in November 2026.

"These cartels run brutal, organized operations that traffic women and children, flood our streets with fentanyl, and kill without consequence," said the Arizona Speaker in his press release, adding, "Arizona is on the frontlines of a war that Washington ignored until President Trump took action. This resolution gives the Trump Administration another tool to defend our state, uphold the rule of law, and protect innocent lives. By sending it to the ballot, we're putting the decision where it belongs—with the people."

The ballot measure comes on the heels of the Trump Administration's recent sanctioning of Mexican banks that supposedly help launder cartel money, including CIBanco, Intercam, and Vector, all of which were connected to or implicated in assisting the cartels financially.

In April, Gov. Hobbs signed HB 2733 into law, which allows Arizona law enforcement to disable, capture, and shoot down drones used by the Mexican drug cartels in cross-border operations.

State Representative David Marshall (R-7), who introduced the bill, said, "Officers shouldn't have to face lawsuits just for doing their jobs and stopping these threats. HB2733 affirms that Arizona stands with law enforcement, not with the cartels."