President Donald Trump repeated his suggestion that Canada become the 51st on Sunday, noting that it would not be subjected to his incoming tariffs should the country join the U.S.

"We pay hundreds of Billions of Dollars to SUBSIDIZE Canada. Why? There is no reason," Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. "We don’t need anything they have. We have unlimited Energy, should make our own Cars, and have more Lumber than we can ever use. Without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country. Harsh but true!" 

"Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State," Trump added. "Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada – AND NO TARIFFS!" 

Trump has for weeks suggested the United States should take control of Canada through economic pressure.

TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: 'NATIONAL EMERGENCY'

Citing the flow of illicit drugs across the northern border, Trump signed an order Saturday to implement a 25% tariff on goods entering the United States from Canada. The order, which takes effect Tuesday, also puts a 10% duty on energy or energy resources from Canada. The order states, "gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illicit drugs of all kinds have poured across our borders and into our communities," adding that "Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs." 

Trump also said he would implement tariffs of 25% on goods from Mexico, as well as 10% on imports from China due to the flow of drugs across U.S. borders.

AMERICAN GAS ASSOCIATION REACTS TO TRUMP ANNOUNCEMENT OF ENERGY TARIFFS ON CANADA, MEXICO

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum both vowed retaliation on Saturday. 

"We categorically reject the White House's slander of the Government of Mexico for having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention to interfere in our territory," Sheinbaum said, adding that she instructed her administration officials to implement "tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico's interests." 

Trudeau said Canada would impose 25% tariffs on $155 billion of U.S. goods, including "immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods effective Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 days." 

"I don't think we're not at all interested in escalating, but I think that there will be a very strong demand on our government to make sure that we stand up for the deal that we have struck with the United States," Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday. 

As the United States beefs up security at its southern border as part of the Trump administration's illegal immigration crackdown, the State Department has issued the highest-level travel advisory for a specific region of northeastern Mexico near McAllen and Brownsville, Texas.

Amid gun battles, kidnappings and other crime, the State Department is also warning of IEDs on dirt roads in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

"[T]he state of Tamaulipas has issued a warning to avoid moving or touching improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been found in and around the area of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando along dirt and secondary roads," a State Department travel advisory for Tamaulipas reads. "IEDs are being increasingly manufactured and used by criminal organizations in this region."

The U.S. Consulate in Mexico notes in the advisory that an IED destroyed an official Mexican government vehicle in Rio Bravo on Jan. 23, injuring its occupant. 

A Spanish flier published by the Tamaulipas government on Facebook urges the public not to touch or move suspicious-looking devices along the roadside.

MEXICO DENIES ACCESS TO LAND FOR US DEPORTATION FLIGHT AFTER MISCOMMUNICATION, STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL SAYS

U.S. government employees are prohibited from traveling "in and around Reynosa and Rio Bravo outside of daylight hours and to avoid dirt roads throughout Tamaulipas," the advisory states.

Government employees also cannot travel between cities in Tamaulipas using interior Mexican highways.

"Travel advisory Level 4 is the highest level there is," said former DEA Senior Special Agent Michael Brown, currently the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices. "That's a warning: Do not go there. I have experienced that, but it was in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia. … The area we're talking about is the state of Tamaulipas, within which you have Reynosa and Matamoros, which have a history of extreme violence in Mexico."

Brown said that what he suspects is happening is "with the sudden end of the Biden-Harris open-border policies, the cartels are no longer making billions of dollars in human trafficking."

"Now that area has been reduced significantly, meaning cartels, which may have been working together up to a week ago, are now competing for access to Reynosa and Matamoros because human smuggling is not going to stop, it's just going to be more expensive, more dangerous, and they're going to have to use traffickers, are going to have to use more selective routes in order to get around Border Patrol and … perhaps U.S. military."

The 32-year former DEA agent added that cartels using IEDs "are simply mimicking what they've seen other hostile elements do across the world … to counter other cartel movements, truck convoys, human traffickers that may be trying to sneak on to their territory."

"[U]nder the last four years of the Biden-Harris administration, nothing was done. The cartels were given carte blanche access to the United States through the open-border system. Now that's been cut off, and they've been designated as terrorist organizations," Brown said.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

The State Department has issued a Level 4 advisory for the area due to crime and kidnapping threats. Travelers are encouraged to avoid dirt roads, unknown objects near roads and travel after dark.

"Common" organized criminal activity in the area includes gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion and sexual assault. 

The recent immigration policy changes affecting cartel networks' financial success also pose a significant threat to Americans, U.S. law enforcement and military members living or stationed near the border, Brown said.

"As cartel members … come across the border with narcotics for human trafficking. Now they're armed and they're ready for conflict. They run into Border Patrol, they run into the Texas Rangers or DEA. There could be a gunfight," Brown said. "So if you're a citizen living on that border, you know that that Level 4 just doesn't stop [the violence], and we know it's going to cross the border with those trafficking individuals."

Of the millions of illegal immigrants who crossed into the United States over the last four years, "[E]ach one of those migrants had to pay a toll to a cartel or to smaller groups," Brown said. "So we're talking about billions of dollars for the last four years with absolutely no effort whatsoever on the part of the cartels."

TRUMP GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH SANCTUARY CITIES OVER DEPORTATION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SET TO BEGIN

The State Department noted in its advisory that heavily armed criminal groups often target certain areas and target "public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments." 

The Level 4 warning comes as the Trump administration begins its crackdown on illegal immigration and crime at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Brown compared the level of violence in Tamaulipas to the Middle East.

"[It] wasn't that long ago before [the] Sinaloa Cartel was executing police officers and hanging them from bridges," Brown said. "Now, we didn't even see that level of violence in Afghanistan when I was there. So, the cartels have taken violence to a whole other level. They are acting just like any terrorist organization. The only difference is their end goal is to make money. That's their ideology."

Officials deported around 2,000 illegal immigrants to Mexico last Thursday, both on the ground and in the air. Mexican officials detained roughly 5,000 migrants within its borders, Fox News reported. 

Trump also ordered 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border to boost the military presence there.

Fox News' Micharl Dorgan and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Miscommunication and confusion about a Defense Department manifest resulted in Mexico rejecting a U.S. deportation flight transporting illegal immigrants to that country this week.

Mexico was ready to accept the deportees and would have if not for the paperwork, a senior State Department official told Fox News. 

Citing two U.S. defense officials and a third person familiar with the situation, NBC News reported that two Air Force C-17s bound for Guatemala carrying about 80 people each flew deportees Thursday night out of the U.S. 

A third flight bound for Mexico never took off after Mexico declined to consent to the landing, the report said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. 

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Flying deportees into a foreign country requires the cooperation of that nation's government. Cooperation was not an issue, Fox News was told. 

Around 2,000 illegal immigrants were deported to Mexico on Thursday, both on the ground and in the air. In addition Mexico detained roughly 5,000 migrants within its borders.

The incident occurred as tensions over the Trump administration's tough illegal immigration policies have strained relations between the countries. 

TRUMP GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH SANCTUARY CITIES OVER DEPORTATION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SET TO BEGIN

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she opposes Trump's executive orders to combat illegal immigration, including reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which requires migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims play out in the U.S. 

Before taking office this week, Trump promised mass deportations, initially targeting criminal illegal immigrants and tougher immigration standards and vetting procedures. 

The State Department official told Fox News that Mexican cooperation has been successful all week, and that Mexico has agreed to re-implement the "Remain in Mexico" policy.

Trump also ordered 1,500 active duty troops to the southern border to boost the military presence there. 

In recent days, federal immigration authorities have made hundreds of arrests, including gang members and others with criminal histories, as part of Trump's mass deportation efforts.

Leaders across the globe reacted to Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday, offering general good wishes and extending geopolitical olive branches.

While President Trump set the tone in his inaugural address and declared he would "put America first," he also drew attention to specific areas like Mexico, Panama and China – sparking more questions over how new American policies under the 47th president of the United States could take shape.

Neither the China, Mexico nor Panama governments responded to Fox News Digital’s questions following the remarks issued by Trump during his inaugural address, including when he vowed to "take back" the Panama Canal, which the U.S. fully handed over to Panama in 1999.

"China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama," the president said.  "And we're taking it back."

Trump also vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and pledged to reinstate his "Remain in Mexico" policies.

CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN CLAIMS TRUMP FULFILLED 'PROMISE TO BE A DICTATOR ON DAY ONE' WITH EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Panama President José Raúl Mulino issued a statement rejecting Trump’s comments and said, "The Canal is and will continue to be Panama's and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality."

"There is no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration," he added, taking issue with Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. "gave" the canal to Panama.

"Dialogue is always the way to clarify the points mentioned without undermining our right, total sovereignty and ownership of our Canal.," Mulino said. 

Reports suggested that Mexico rejected Trump's plans to implement a "Remain in Mexico" policy and during a Monday morning conference, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico's secretary for external relations, said, "If they reinstate it, this is something we don’t agree with. We have a different focus. We want to adjust it." 

"The desire is to keep the same policies as now," he added.

China does not appear to have commented publicly following Trump's inaugural address, which was attended by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump on re-entering the White House and suggested he may be open to peace talks with Ukraine. 

"We see the statements by the newly elected President of the United States and members of his team about the desire to restore direct contacts with Russia," Putin said, according to a Reuters translation.

"We also hear his statement about the need to do everything possible to prevent World War III," he added. "We of course welcome this attitude and congratulate the elected President of the United States of America on taking office."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy similarly issued his congratulations just ahead of the inauguration ceremony and said, "I congratulate President Trump and the American people on the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. Today is a day of change and also a day of hope for the resolution of many problems, including global challenges.

"President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority," he added.

TRUMP ORDERS US WITHDRAWAL FROM WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte offered his "warm congratulations" and in a post on X said, "With President Trump back in office we will turbo-charge defense spending and production."

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen also took to X and said the international body "looks forward to working closely with you to tackle global challenges."

"Together, our societies can achieve greater prosperity and strengthen their common security," she added. 

While many nations in Europe, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, congratulated Trump, with several leaders pronouncing that the U.S. is their closest ally, other nations in Europe were less willing to issue pronounced congratulations.

French President Emmanuel Macron issued a note of warning when giving a speech to the French military on Monday.

Macron said the Trump presidency was an "opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call" and highlighted scenarios that some have feared could affect European security, like a lessening of U.S. military presence in Europe if Washington opts to shift focus toward security concerns in Asia instead. 

Just one day into the long-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video message on X in which he congratulated Trump and said, "I believe that working together again we will raise the US-Israel alliance to even greater heights."

"The best days of our alliance are yet to come," he added. 

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri also commented on the inauguration of the 47th president, saying, "We are happy with the departure of Biden, who has the blood of Palestinians on his hand," reported Reuters.  

"We hope for the end of this dark era that harmed the U.S. before anyone and that Trump can build his policies on balanced foundations that can cut the road against Netanyahu's evils that want to drown the region and the world," he added. 

Bodies hanging beneath underpasses. Government institutions systematically bribed. Political candidates assassinated by the dozens. Teenage boys lured into "job centers" only to be tortured and killed. Police ambushed and executed. 

This is not a description of my time fighting terrorists abroad; it is the grim and harrowing reality of life in Mexico today.

The crises spread beyond Mexico. The fentanyl trafficked into our country by the Mexican drug cartels and their Chinese partners kills around 80,000 Americans per year. That’s the equivalent of 25 9/11 attacks every year. This reality is what led to me working with then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy to establish a task force to combat the cartels.

What exactly is a congressional task force? They vary in size and scope, but typically a task force is a group of members focused on a specific problem. We had no additional staff or resources, only a common goal. 

US TO SANCTION MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL JALISCO OVER FENTANYL TRAFFICKING

Despite severely limited resources, I personally traveled to eight locations across the country, went on three international trips, including two visits to Mexico City, held almost 30 briefings, and led the task force to generate a comprehensive list of legislative proposals.

Our solutions varied in size and scope. In 2023, along with the incoming national security adviser for President Trump, Congressman Mike Waltz, I introduced the Authorization of the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against cartels to empower the U.S. military to operate against cartels in coordination with Mexico. 

Our bipartisan task force largely agreed on the need for a "big" idea like this that vastly increases military cooperation with Mexico and takes the fight to the cartels.  We also realized our laws do not adequately deter dealing fentanyl, and we worked on legislation to significantly increase penalties for cartel members and their facilitators, including local drug dealers, U.S. banks, and foreign governments complicit in their operations. 

'MOST RUTHLESS' MEXICAN CARTELS OPERATE IN ALL 50 STATES, BRING TURF WARS TO US: DEA

We acknowledged the need to choke off the cartel’s weapon supply by focusing on southbound illicit flows across our southern border in addition to addressing northbound flows. We found that penalties on fentanyl precursor suppliers shipping product illegally to the U.S. were nothing but a slap on the wrist, thus necessitating higher penalties to deter Chinese companies from falsifying shipping manifests.

These are only a portion of the solutions needed to combat the Mexican cartels. But if Congress is serious about aligning with President Trump’s promise to fight the cartels, we  need significantly more congressional firepower. It will require professional staff, a travel and investigative budget, and substantially more focus from Congress than my limited task force can currently provide to pass legislation.

We need a select committee to defeat the Mexican drug cartels.

SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY BELIEVE TRUMP WILL 'CONTROL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION': POLL

What’s the difference?

Combating the Mexican drug cartels requires dismantling every aspect of their operations – from fentanyl precursor suppliers in China to the falsified manifests used to smuggle cargo into the United States. This means targeting precursor mixers, pill pressers, traffickers, lawyers, corrupt politicians, and bankers who sustain cartel activities. 

It means building up the right capabilities inside the government of Mexico, and deeper coordination between our military and theirs. It means increased intelligence collection on the cartels that must be funded and authorized. The list goes on. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

What might at first seem like straightforward legislative solutions quickly become a complex web of measures spread across no fewer than nine committees – an incredibly inefficient way to address an insurgency at our border.

The Select Committee to Defeat the Mexican Drug Cartels would act as a central coordination hub for this multifaceted crisis, which means one committee of jurisdiction. Rather than navigating bills through committees with overlapping jurisdiction, a select committee would streamline the process, allowing us to swiftly move critical legislation to the floor, much like the Select Committee on China achieved with the TikTok CCP divestment last Congress.

Ignoring the Mexican cartels is not an option. Even one more year of preventable fentanyl overdoses in America is an unacceptable future, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on.

With new administrations in both the U.S. and Mexico – each with a record of taking decisive action against the cartels – the timing is right. The only question now is whether the House will step up and lead, which is why I am calling on Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to support my proposal to establish a Select Committee to Defeat the Mexican Drug Cartels.

The time to eliminate them is now.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REP. DAN CRENSHAW

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum chided President-elect Trump for saying he plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico, saying she has a new name for the United States. 

"Mexican America. That sounds nice," Sheinbaum quipped Wednesday in Mexico City during a press conference, Reuters reported. 

Sheinbaum cited a map from 1607 during the press conference and was joined by Mexico’s former culture minister, Jose Alfonso Suarez del Real.

"The fact is that Mexican America is recognized since the 17th century... as the name for the whole northern part of the (American) continent," Suarez del Real said, pointing to the map. 

'BEAUTIFUL NAME': TRUMP ANNOUNCES GULF OF MEXICO WILL GET NEW, PRO-AMERICA REVAMP

Sheinbaum’s remark followed Trump holding his own press conference Tuesday, where he made a series of announcements and further previewed his upcoming second administration, including saying he plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico. 

​​"We have a massive deficit with Mexico, and we help Mexico a lot. They're essentially run by the cartels, and can't let that happen, because Mexico is really in trouble, a lot of trouble. Very dangerous place," Trump said during the press conference. 

DONALD TRUMP JR. TAKES PERSONAL TRIP TO GREENLAND AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT FLOATS PURCHASING COUNTRY

"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory," Trump said Tuesday. "The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate."

The Gulf of Mexico is a partly enclosed sea that borders states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as Mexico and the northwestern portion of Cuba. Trump did not elaborate on how or when he will rename the body of water. Instead, he switched gears to the immigration woes in the U.S. under the Biden White House. 

MEXICO DISPERSES MIGRANT CARAVANS HEADING TO US AHEAD OF TRUMP INAUGURATION

"Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them, and we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada, too. And the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers," Trump said. 

Sheinbaum pushed back on Trump’s comment that Mexico is essentially "run by cartels," responding that the "people are in charge" of the nation. 

Sheinbaum added during the press conference that she expects the U.S. and Mexico will have a "good relationship" during the second Trump administration. 

"I think there will be a good relationship," she said. "President Trump has his way of communicating."

Radio host Charlamagne Tha God said President-elect Donald Trump is showing the country how presidents can get things done if they have the will to do it. 

During a Tuesday press conference, Trump announced his intention to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which he said has a "beautiful ring" and is more "appropriate" for the body of water. 

The hosts of the Breakfast Club reacted to Trump's comments on their radio show Wednesday.

MISS. LAWMAKER: 'GULF OF AMERICA' BILL WAS A JOKE

"Donald Trump shows me what’s politically possible. Trump shows me what presidents can do if they want to do it. Donald Trump shows me what can be said if you are willing to say it. It’s not about what can be done, it’s about who has the political will to do it," Charlamagne argued.

"I don’t want to hear a peep from Democrats about nothing until they get the balls to say what’s really on their mind in regards to this country and this world," he added. "Trump doesn’t care if it sounds ridiculous. Trump doesn’t care if it makes sense. It’s no political correctness whatsoever."

DONALD TRUMP JR TAKES PERSONAL TRIP TO GREENLAND AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT FLOATS PURCHASING COUNTRY

Charlamagne said this is just the latest example of the Trump phenomenon, "As I’ve been saying for years, the language of politics is dead, and Donald Trump killed it. Period."

In addition to renaming the gulf, Trump has also shared his desire for Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal to become part of the United States. 

President-elect Trump announced the Gulf of Mexico is getting a new name. 

"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory," Trump said on Tuesday. "The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate."

Trump made the announcement in his first press conference since Congress certified his election win over Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago. He opened the press event by announcing DAMAC Properties will invest $20 billion in new data centers across the country in addition to previewing a bevy of policy issues ahead of his inauguration this month. 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES $20 BILLION IN NEW DATA CENTERS IN POST-CERTIFICATION ADDRESS

The Gulf of Mexico is a partly enclosed sea that borders states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as Mexico.

DONALD TRUMP JR TAKES PERSONAL TRIP TO GREENLAND AFTER PRESIDENT-ELECT FLOATS PURCHASING COUNTRY

Trump did not detail how his administration would go about renaming the body of water, but went on to slam Mexico for the immigration woes in the U.S. under the Biden White House. 

"Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them. And we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers, record numbers. So we’re going to make up for that by putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada, substantial tariffs," he said. 

BIDEN MOVING TO BAN OIL AND GAS LEASES FOR 20 YEARS IN NEVADA REGION, JUST WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP INAUGURATION

 Trump's pledge is his latest remark regarding land territories, including potentially expanding the U.S. 

MISS. LAWMAKER: 'GULF OF AMERICA' BILL WAS A JOKE

Trump has referred to Canada as the nation's "51st state," while his son and other Trump allies traveled to Greenland this week following Trump repeatedly calling for the U.S. to acquire the autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. 

"As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places across the globe as an outdoorsman, I’m excited to stop into Greenland for a little bit of fun this week," Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News Digital of his trip to Greenland. 

A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Trump Jr. is "popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting." Trump Jr. is not meeting with government officials while in Greenland, Fox Digital previously reported. 

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Signman contributed to this report.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with a regulatory rule in the final days of the Biden administration that would effectively ban cigarettes currently on the market in favor of products with lower nicotine levels, which could end up boosting business for cartels operating on the black market, an expert tells Fox News Digital.

"Biden's ban is a gift with a bow and balloons to organized crime cartels with it, whether it's cartels, Chinese organized crime, or Russian mafia. It's going to keep America smoking, and it's going to make the streets more violent," Rich Marianos, former assistant director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the current chair of the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network, told Fox News Digital of the proposal. 

The FDA confirmed to Fox Digital on Monday that as of Jan. 3, the Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Level of Certain Tobacco Products had completed a regulatory review, but that the proposed rule has not yet been finalized. 

"The proposed rule, ‘Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Level of Certain Tobacco Products,’ is displaying in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) ROCIS system as having completed regulatory review on January 3," an FDA spokesman told Fox Digital. "As the FDA has previously said, a proposed product standard to establish a maximum nicotine level to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products, when finalized, is estimated to be among the most impactful population-level actions in the history of U.S. tobacco product regulation. At this time, the FDA cannot provide any further comment until it is published."

Fox New Digital reached out to the White House regarding concerns over the proposal if it were to take effect but did not receive a response. 

BIDEN ADMIN FACING CONGRESSIONAL PROBE OVER PROPOSED BAN ON MENTHOL CIGARETTES

Former President Barack Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009, which granted the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products. In the years since, the agency has worked to lower nicotine levels, including in July 2017 under the Trump administration, when then-FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced it would seek to require tobacco companies to drastically cut nicotine in cigarettes in an effort to help adult smokers quit.

In 2022, the FDA under the Biden administration announced plans for the proposed rule that would lower levels of nicotine so they were less addictive or non-addictive.

"Lowering nicotine levels to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels would decrease the likelihood that future generations of young people become addicted to cigarettes and help more currently addicted smokers to quit," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said at the time. 

POPULAR ITALIAN CITY OFFICIALLY BANS CIGARETTE SMOKING OUTDOORS

Lowering the levels of nicotine in commonly purchased cigarettes and other tobacco products would open the floodgates to the illicit trafficking of tobacco products into the U.S., Marianos told Fox News Digital. 

"This decision is being thrown down the public's throat without one ounce of thought and preparation. Nobody sat down with law enforcement, nobody sat down with any doctors, No one sat down with any regulators to find out, ‘Hey, look, what are the unintended ramifications of such a poor choice,’ and that's what I'm going to call it, a poor choice," Marianos said. 

He explained that Mexican cartels are well-positioned to bring illegal tobacco across the border, as they do with substances such as fentanyl that have devastated communities across the U.S., while Chinese criminal organizations have some of the best counterfeit operations stretching from baby formula to cigarettes, and Russian organized crime groups have their foot in the door in cities across the nation, including in bodegas and other stores that sell tobacco products. 

Marianos said that criminal groups would likely quickly catch on to the proposal if it takes effect and subsequently amplify their tobacco operations – which he says will serve as an economic boon for the criminals. 

Americans who want to purchase cigarettes with higher levels of nicotine would then need to go through the illicit channels to obtain them, similar to buying "loosie" cigarettes on the streets of New York, putting average Americans at further criminal risk while also offering them cigarettes that are not regulated and originating from foreign nations. 

WANT TO STOP SMOKING FOR GOOD? CDC LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN WITH FREE RESOURCES TO QUIT

Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have already warned that tobacco trafficking in the U.S. poses a grave national security threat and already has its foot in the door. 

"In 2015, the State Department cited activity by terrorist groups, and criminal networks who have used tobacco trafficking operations to finance other crimes, including ‘money laundering, bulk cash smuggling, and the trafficking in humans, weapons, drugs, antiquities, diamonds, and counterfeit goods,’" Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La.; Mark Warner, D-Va.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.;  Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.; and then-Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., wrote in a 2023 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

BIDEN ADMIN ABRUPTLY DELAYS PLAN TO BAN MENTHOL CIGARETTES AMID WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION

"Recently, public reporting has also noted these financial linkages between Mexican transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) involved in narcotics and fentanyl trafficking, and these tobacco smuggling activities. Mexican TCOs pose a grave threat to American national security and public health."

Marianos added that in addition to the criminal effect posed to America and its residents, lowering nicotine levels would also defeat the stated mission of weaning smokers off cigarettes and instead lead to an increase in smoking. 

"You're going to create more smoking. And I thought that's what we're trying to get away from, right? Smoking is bad. I thought we're trying to do everything possible to get away from that and get the country safer. Well, if you take down the nicotine levels, people are going to smoke more. That is proven. All you have to do is just drive here in DC and see, you know workers on their smoke break," he said, saying work productivity will even be driven down as people take more smoke breaks in alleys to get their nicotine fix. 

The Biden administration previously attempted to outright ban menthol cigarettes, in what was described as a "critical" piece of President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative, but announced last year it was abruptly delaying such regulations as the public decried the move. A handful of groups argued that banning menthol unfairly targeted minority communities, while others argued the ban would open the floodgates to illicit menthol sales.

When several Americans planned to travel abroad for relaxing vacations, their dream vacations quickly turned to real-life nightmares and terror. 

Here are some of the crimes against American tourists that happened during 2024.  

An American woman died in the crossfire of an apparent drug deal gone bad at a popular Mexican beach resort in the municipality of Tulum. 

The victim was 44-year-old Los Angeles native Niko Honarbakhsh.

CALIFORNIA WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN MEXICAN RESORT TOWN POPULAR WITH AMERICANS

Prosecutors maintain that Honarbakhsh died as a result of a stray bullet.

Other tourists in recent years have died in gang-related crossfire in Tulum, including a California travel blogger and a German, who were killed in 2021 while eating in a restaurant after rival drug dealers started shooting each other. 

Last year, the U.S. issued "Do Not Travel" warnings for parts of Mexico ahead of the popular March spring break travel period, citing gang violence and noting that U.S. citizens have "become seriously ill or died in Mexico after using synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription pills." 

In November, an Oregon nurse was found dead during her vacation in Hungary after she disappeared from a nightclub.

Budapest police said 31-year-old Mackenzie Michalski, a nurse practitioner from Portland, was killed by a man she met.

Michalski's friends alerted authorities after she missed her departing flight and her belongings were left in her Airbnb. 

OREGON NURSE MURDERED WHILE ON EUROPEAN VACATION BY SUSPECT SHE MET AT NIGHTCLUB: POLICE

Authorities were able to track down surrounding security footage and identified a male suspect who was last seen with Michalski.

Police later detained an Irish citizen in connection to Michalski's disappearance, who admitted he met her at a local nightclub and danced before leaving together for his apartment. 

Police said that the pair had "gotten intimate, and he killed her in the process."

Authorities said that after the murder, the suspect cleaned his apartment, placed her body in a wardrobe cabinet and went out to purchase a suitcase. He allegedly placed Michalski's body in the suitcase, rented a car and drove it to Lake Balaton, approximately an hour and a half drive from Budapest.

Police said he hid Michalski's body in the woods before driving back to Budapest, where he was arrested outside his apartment.

Authorities, who have not released the suspect's name, said he confessed to killing Michalski but claimed it was an accident.

Last week, the bodies of two Americans from California were found  after being found shot to death in a pickup truck in Mexico, according to officials.

Authorities located Gloria Ambriz, 50, and Rafael Cardona, 53, while responding to a report of a shooting in Angamacutiro in the western state of Michoacán on Wednesday night, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles, citing the state attorney general's office.

AMERICAN COUPLE KILLED IN MEXICO, FOUND SHOT IN PICKUP TRUCK: OFFICIALS

The couple, who were on vacation visiting family, was traveling in a black 2016 Ford Platinum pickup truck when gunmen opened fire near an intersection.

Ambriz was pronounced dead on the scene, and Cardona succumbed to his injuries shortly after being taken to a hospital in Puruándiro, officials said.

The Michoacán State Attorney General's Office has put together a team of prosecutors, police and forensic experts to determine the motive and identify those responsible for the killings.

Michoacán is listed as a "do not travel" spot in Mexico, according to the U.S. State Department.

In May, Mexican authorities confirmed two Australians and an American were killed on a surfing trip because thieves wanted the tires from their truck.

The three men, brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad, were on a camping and surfing trip along a stretch of coast south of the city of Ensenada when they disappeared.

All three bodies were later found with gunshot wounds to the head, Reuters reported, citing a source from the attorney general's office.

Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez theorized that the killers drove by and saw the foreigners' pickup truck and tents and wanted to steal their tires. But "when [the foreigners] came up and caught them, surely, they resisted."

TRIPLE MURDER SUSPECT IN MEXICO SURFER DEATHS ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED TO GIRLFRIEND HE KILLED '3 GRINGOS': REPORT

Ramírez said the thieves allegedly went to what she called "a site that is extremely hard to get to" and allegedly dumped the bodies into a familiar well. 

One of the suspects believed to be connected to the murders allegedly admitted to his girlfriend that he killed all three, Ramírez said.

The BBC reported that Ari Gisel, the girlfriend of suspected killer Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota, said he showed up at her house on April 28 and told her he did something to "three gringos."

After admitting to the crime, Garcia Cota reportedly took Gisel outside to show her his vehicle, which reportedly had the tires on it that were allegedly stolen from the victims' truck, Gisel explained in court. 

During a tribute, the Robinsons' mother, Debra Robinson, said, "Our hearts are broken, and the world has become a darker place for us. They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together," the Associated Press reported.

A dream vacation turned into a nearly fatal nightmare after two Oklahoma State University students were allegedly poisoned after ordering water from a poolside bar at a Cancun resort.  

Photos shared by Zara Hull and her family show the moment Hull and Kaylie Pitze say they became unconscious after drinking the tainted water on Aug. 1. 

Hull and a group of friends were in Cancun for a four-day trip that was quickly cut short.

Stephanie Snider, whose son, Jake, is Hull's boyfriend, said in a series of Facebook posts that Hull and Pitze were slipped a drug while they were at the resort in Cancun.

"What started out as a fun vacation with friends for them ended up as our worst nightmare," Snider wrote.

OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY THEY WERE DRUGGED AT CANCUN RESORT POOL BAR IN VACATION NIGHTMARE

After leaving the pool, Jake explained that Pitze was taken back to their room in a wheelchair, while he carried Hull. Hull began throwing up and having what he thought was a seizure. 

"Zara started having what the resort doctor called a ‘seizure’ and said she needed to be taken to the hospital. Once she was there, the hospital demanded $10K just to look at her to help her and start treating her. The money was sent. By the next morning, we were told more money was needed to continue treatment," Snider said.

Snider said Pitze did not end up in the hospital but struggled the following day after the incident.

"Neither of the girls have any memory of what happened after they took that last drink, which happened to have been a glass of WATER. We think it was whatever was put in that glass of water that did it. Both girls collapsed at the very SAME time. They both are battling feelings of not knowing what happened and ‘why them?’" Snider said. 

Nearly 27 hours later and after spending thousands of dollars, Hull's family was able to negotiate with the U.S. Embassy and have her flown to Dallas to continue medical treatment. 

Snider said she hopes this is a warning for others traveling to resorts like this.

"They did exactly like we told them. Don't leave the resort. You have no reason to leave that resort. You stay there," said Snider.

"Like people say, 'Don't leave the resort, and you'll be fine.' It started at the resort. The resort was not safe," Hull said. "They say the resort is the safest place; don’t leave it. That’s not true."

Snider said the name of the resort or hospital is not being released at this time due to legal and privacy issues. 

In November, a 60-year-old American tourist was found "beaten to death" at a lavish five-star hotel in Ireland, police said.

According to a release from Ireland’s national police and security service, Garda Síochána, an unidentified American citizen was found unconscious in his hotel room at Ballyfin Demesne, a luxurious hotel in Laois, Ireland.

The victim was later pronounced dead by police.

AMERICAN TOURIST, 60, FOUND 'BEATEN TO DEATH' AT 5-STAR HOTEL IN IRELAND FREQUENTED BY CELEBRITIES

Police in Ireland arrested and detained a 30-year-old man in the assault.

The suspect and victim traveled together, the Irish Times reported. The outlet noted that the suspect is also an American.

The Ballyfin Demesne is a five-star hotel in Ireland that has hosted celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who stayed there for their honeymoon in 2014. 

Actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal, have also stayed there.

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Local independent councilor James Kelly told local outlet RTE that nearby communities were "shocked" to hear about the incident at the distinguished hotel.

"There would be a lot of staff from the area, and they're totally shocked by what has happened here," he said. "It's something we didn't think we'd be waking up to this morning."

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Peter Aitken and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

Mexico is developing an app that will allow migrants in the U.S. facing deportation to alert their family members and local U.S. consulates if they are about to be detained by authorities, a senior official said Friday. He added that his government plans to ensure that each Mexican citizen is given due process in the U.S. before being potentially ejected from the country. 

The app, called "Alert Button," is being designed in anticipation of the mass deportations of illegal migrants expected to occur after President-elect Trump is sworn into office on Jan. 20. A cornerstone of Trump’s second term in office is to secure the border and carry out the largest mass deportation program the U.S. has ever seen.

Many Mexican nationals who are in the U.S. illegally will likely be targeted by the new Trump administration. The Mexican government estimates there are 11.5 million migrants with some form of legal residency in the United States and 4.8 million without legal residency or proper documents. 

NEW REPORT REVEALS MASSIVE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BENEFITING FROM BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN'S 'QUIET AMNESTY'

The new app, which is expected to be available in January, will allow users to press a tab to send an alert notification to previously chosen relatives and the nearest Mexican consulate, of which there are 53 in the U.S.

"In case you find yourself in a situation where detention is imminent, you push the alert button and that sends a signal to the nearest consulate," Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs Juan Ramón de la Fuente said.

He said it has already been rolled out for small-scale testing and "appears to be working very well." 

De la Fuente described it as a sort of panic button, adding that his office has beefed up its consular staff by hiring "329 legal representatives" to ensure that Mexicans facing deportation will be given due process and are properly informed of their rights before potential removal. 

U.S. authorities are obliged to notify home-country consulates when a foreign citizen is detained and Mexico says its consular staff will offer legal aid to help migrants in the legal process related to deportation. 

The government says it has also set up a call center staffed 24 hours a day to answer migrants’ questions and help educate them on their rights ahead of "possible arrests or other intimidating actions."

De la Fuente said in a statement that the Mexican government will defend the human rights of its citizens in the U.S. in strict compliance with international law.

BIDEN ADMIN FACES SCRUTINY OVER RESPONSE TO ‘SIGNIFICANT RISE’ OF ASSAULTS ON BORDER PATROL AGENTS

"We want to tell our fellow countrymen that they are not alone and they will not be alone," he said, reiterating that there is a consular network that is up to the task.

The foreign minister said that in order to deport someone from the U.S. a court order or removal ruling is needed and that his consular team will be "very vigilant in ensuring that due process is followed."

Trump has already clashed with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum over immigration and proposed a 25% tariff on imported goods from Mexico over the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs. Sheinbaum said that such a move could lead to a trade war between the countries and insisted her government has already been clamping down on migrants crossing into the U.S.

The U.S. recorded an unprecedented number of illegal migrants flowing across its borders under the Biden-Harris administration. The number of illegal immigrants on ICE's non-detained docket exploded to nearly 7.7 million, more than double what it was when Trump left office. It was at 3.2 million at the end of FY 2020.

The annual ICE report released in October shows that ICE deported 271,484 illegal immigrants to 192 different countries in fiscal year 2024. Of those, 32.7% had criminal histories and 237 were known or suspected terrorists.

It’s a significant increase from more than 142,000 deported in FY 23, and around 72,000 in FY 2022. In FY 2020, the last year of the Trump administration and which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, there were around 185,000 deportations and in FY 2019 there were 267,000 deportations. 

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and the Associated Press contributed to this report.