Today, President Trump urged Mexico to “wage war” on drug cartels after the massacre of at least nine American citizens, 3 women and 6 of their children from a Mormon family — in the Mexican state of Sonora.
“A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing,” President Trump tweeted early Tuesday.
“If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing [and] able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively,” Trump offered. “The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!”
“This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth,” President Trump concluded. “We merely await a call from your great new president!”
On Monday, members of the LeBarón and Langford families, who are related, families with U.S. citizenship who are part of a break-away Mormon community in Mexico, were ambushed by a cartel while traveling in a three-car caravan to a wedding.
Mexican drug cartels members that have been terrorizing the region reportedly opened fire on the vehicles and burned them, resulting in the death a total of nine people and injuring at least three others. The families suspect that a cartel based in Chihuahua is responsible for the terrible massacre.
“Maria Rhonita Miller and four of her children died on a road in northern Mexico, according to [Lafe Langford Jr.] and social media posts,” The Salt Lake Tribune reports. “The bodies of Dawna Ray Langford, 43, and Christina Marie Langford, 31, were found later Monday, Lafe Langford Jr. said. The bodies of two of Dawna Ray Langford’s children, Trevor, 11, and Rogan, 3, also were recovered Monday.”
Among the children who died were Rhonita’s twin 6-month-old babies and two children aged 10 and 12. The Tribune notes that an earlier report that Christina Marie’s baby daughter Faith Marie Johnson had died “turned out to be incorrect,” the Daily Wire reported.
The New York Times also reported that, Kenny LeBarón, a cousin of one of the women killed, said in an interview that he fears the death toll will only continue to rise.
“When you know there are babies tied in a car seat that are burning because of some twisted evil that’s in this world, it’s just hard to cope with that,” LeBarón said.
