DHS Honors Marine Killed by Mexican Cartel in New Video Highlighting Trump's Anti-Terrorism Efforts

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a video commemorating Marine Corps veteran Nicholas Quets, who was killed by members of the Sinaloa Cartel while traveling to Rocky Point, Mexico in October 2024. The video highlights the department's renewed efforts to combat drug cartels, which are now being officially termed "foreign terrorist organizations" according to the administration.

In the two-and-a-half-minute video, Quets' parents, retired Army Lt. Col. Warren D. Quets Jr. and Patricia Quets, recall the tragic events leading up to their son's death. Nicholas Quets, age 31, was fatally shot through the heart when cartel members attempted to steal his vehicle at a checkpoint. Both parents emphasized the lack of response from the current administration, contrasting it with interactions they later had with former President Trump.

"I felt validated and vindicated," Warren Quets Jr. says in the video, explaining that President Trump reached out to him after receiving no acknowledgment from the Biden administration or the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris regarding his son’s killing. During the video, the family expresses deep appreciation to those elevating their story, stating, "I want to thank everybody for putting this together and giving us a voice."

The release of the video coincides with a series of actions by DHS aimed at dismantling organized cartel activity. In a press statement, the agency detailed recent steps, including an executive order issued on the president’s first day in office designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist groups. This designation provides law enforcement with enhanced authority to pursue these organizations and disrupt associated criminal activities, such as human trafficking, within the United States.

On what would have been Nicholas Quets’ 32nd birthday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against six individuals and seven entities accused of laundering money for the Sinaloa Cartel. The sanctions are part of a broader financial crackdown aimed at undermining the revenue streams of major drug trafficking operations.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement emphasizing the importance of these measures. "Nicholas Quets was a patriot who served our country honorably and was killed by these cartel cowards who shot him in the back. 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," she said. McLaughlin added, "The days of unchecked cartel violence are over."

Experts have described the administration's new sanctions as a “full-frontal assault” on organized crime at the border. By equipping law enforcement with additional legal tools and expanding financial targeting, officials hope to send a clear message that attacks against American citizens will be met with severe consequences.

In comments shared with Fox News Digital ahead of the presidential election, Warren Quets Jr. expressed gratitude toward the former president, saying, "I do believe in Donald Trump as a man of his word – not the TV character, not the billionaire – but a person who I looked at face to face and talked with." Reflecting on the broader implications of his son’s death, he remarked, "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."

Reporting on this story continues as authorities pursue further actions against transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.