The Department of Homeland Security has released an emotional video tribute honoring Marine Corps veteran Nicholas Quets, who was murdered by members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico last year. The video comes as the Trump administration takes significant steps to combat cartel violence through new designations and sanctions.
According to Fox News, the two-and-a-half-minute video features interviews with Quets' parents, who express gratitude for President Trump's personal outreach following their son's murder and applaud his administration's aggressive actions against drug cartels.
The video explicitly states that under the current administration, "Drug cartels are being called what they truly are: foreign terrorist organizations," highlighting the shift in approach to combating these criminal enterprises.
Parents find closure through action
Lt. Col. Warren D. Quets Jr. and Patricia Quets, Nicholas' parents, share their painful experience in the DHS video, describing how their son was shot in the back through the heart when cartel members attempted to steal his pickup truck at a checkpoint in Mexico on October 18, 2024.
The father expresses feeling "validated and vindicated" after speaking directly with President Trump about his son's death. He notes that the family received no feedback from the previous Biden administration or the Kamala Harris campaign regarding the tragedy.
Warren Quets praises the new terrorist designation in the video, saying, "Designating all those organizations as foreign terrorist organizations, it makes things safer for us and puts them on the defensive. We want to send a message that targeting Americans anywhere has legal consequences."
Administration's decisive crackdown
The Trump administration has implemented several measures aimed at dismantling drug cartels since taking office, with President Trump signing an executive order on his first day designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
This designation gives law enforcement expanded powers to "crack down" on sex trafficking operations from the cartels within the United States, providing additional legal tools to combat cartel activities that reach across the border.
On what would have been Nicholas Quets' 32nd birthday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions targeting six individuals and seven entities allegedly operating a money-laundering scheme supporting the Sinaloa Cartel, demonstrating the administration's commitment to attacking cartel financial networks.
Honoring Nicholas Quets' memory
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized that the administration's actions are partly meant to honor Quets' service and sacrifice, calling him "a patriot who served our country honorably and was killed by these cartel cowards."
McLaughlin's statement makes clear the administration's perspective, stating, "President Trump and Secretary Noem are honoring his memory by dismantling the Sinaloa cartel and other drug cartels that profit from trafficking, violence, and lawlessness."
The DHS official added that "President Trump's strong leadership and these arrests and prosecutions of scum-of-the-earth cartel leaders are delivering results. The days of unchecked cartel violence are over."
Marine's death galvanizes policy shift
Nicholas Quets was 31 years old when he was murdered while traveling with friends to Rocky Point, Mexico. His killing highlighted the dangers American citizens face from cartel violence in the region.
Prior to the election, Quets' father told Fox News Digital that he believed in "Donald Trump as a man of his word," expressing confidence that the then-candidate would take meaningful action against the cartels if elected. That faith appears to have been rewarded with the administration's recent policy initiatives.
Warren Quets had described the impact of his son's murder in stark terms, saying, "America got a little bit weaker. My family was destroyed, but America got a little bit weaker. Mexico got a little bit weaker. Those cartels got a little bit stronger. And the only way to reverse that is to go after these people."
