Mexico cartel death helps drive Trump crackdown on organized crime groups

The father of a former U.S. Marine killed by cartel gunmen in Mexico is praising President Trump’s recent crackdown on organized crime. He also blames what he calls “failed border policies” under the Biden administration for enabling the violence that claimed his son’s life.

Nicholas Quets, a 31-year-old former Marine infantryman living in Tucson, Arizona, was in the process of applying to become a U.S. Border Patrol agent when he was killed on Oct. 18, while traveling along the Caborca-Altar Highway in northern Mexico. Nicholas encountered a cartel roadblock of 11 heavily armed vehicles consisting of approximately 25 men.

His father, Warren Quets, told Fox News Digital that the Sinaloa Cartel identified him as an American because of his license plate and the language he spoke. 

“They chased him down like a dog and shot him, like the cowards they were,” he said. 

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Warren noted that immigration policies under former President Biden were perceived as an “invitation” for those south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Those policies, combined with the exploitation of migrants by coyotes and cartel members, facilitated mass crossings over the last four years, Warren added. 

“If they made it to the U.S. border, it would be a catch-and-release policy,” he said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Biden for comment, but did not immediately hear back. 

Warren also claimed that some NGOs and local agencies profited from the border crisis, including churches and organizations that received donations and government funding tied to migrant processing.

In January, two shelters in Pima County, Arizona, where Nicholas had worked prior to his death, closed their doors, according to the Arizona Daily Star. 

Shelters and other organizations also closed in several other states, including Texas, California and New York. 

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Warren told Fox News Digital that the U.S. must maintain constant pressure on “soulless” criminal organizations and support cultural change in Mexico, describing America’s southern neighbor as a “de facto failed state” where citizens lack faith in the government due to cartel infiltration.

He stressed that while there is cause for hope under the new administration, it must be tied to continued, concrete action.

“There is a message that targeting U.S. citizens any place in the world is no longer acceptable and comes with consequences. President Trump, you know, he’s directly responsible for sending that message, and that message is working,” Warren said. 

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks posted to X on August 1 that southwest border apprehensions hit a monthly record low in July, with only 4,399 apprehensions. For the third month in a row, there have been zero releases.

This marks a new all-time record low, surpassing the prior record low of 6,070 in June.

During the Biden administration, the record high was December 2023, with 249,785 apprehensions, the majority of which resulted in releases into the U.S. The nosedive in numbers is seen as a major victory by Republicans and the Trump administration.

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Warren also highlighted several other key victories, citing his son’s passing as a strong motivator behind many actions taken against cartels by the current administration.

For example, a June 9 press release from the Department of Treasury noted that Nicholas’ death was a driving force behind sanctions levied against “El Chapo’s” children and Los Chapitos, a fentanyl-trafficking faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The tragedy has also influenced U.S. policy in other cases. In July, the Department of Homeland Security mentioned Nicholas while announcing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest of Sinaloa Cartel affiliate Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 

A Sunday report from The New York Times suggested that President Trump has secretly authorized military force against Latin American drug cartels. These groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel responsible for Nicholas’ death, were designated as foreign terrorist organizations in February.  

“[Trump has] been great to my family. He’s kept in touch with us. His administration kept in touch with us. He’s treated us like his family. And I think he would do that for anybody in this situation. I don’t think it’s particular to me. So, I’m grateful for that. You know, Nick will not die in vain because Nick is now the reason for many of these changes,” Warren told Fox News Digital.