Anonymous Euro diplomats panic over Trump’s hardline crime crackdown: ‘cowboy era’

European diplomats are whinging about “international law” on the front page of Politico while President Donald Trump pursues his agenda of cleaning up America by cracking down on the worst criminals and most violent cartels.

European officials are reportedly anxious about Trump’s conduct in fighting Latin American cartels and deporting illegal immigrants, with one official alleging the president was “disregarding foundational legal commitments,” anonymous European diplomats told Politico Monday. Trump has engaged in a sweeping crackdown on crime, cartels and illegal immigration since coming into office, designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, deporting migrants at record pace and cleaning up crime in the nation’s capital.

One official told Politico that Trump has “undermined the credibility of U.S. leadership and signaled that domestic politics could override international obligations.”

Some of the European diplomats expressed concern over Trump’s hardline stance toward illegal immigration, saying that they see Trump revoking visas and deporting legal migrants for associations with terrorists and cartels amounted to an infringement on due process and free speech, according to Politico. They also suggested that Trump sending migrants to countries like El Salvador would not be legal under some European laws and international treaties.

Trump’s decision to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations may also complicate European extraditions, since under the new designation those people would be eligible for the death penalty, and some European countries refuse to extradite criminals who could face execution, two diplomats told Politico.

The diplomats also said that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were politicizing the Department of Justice (DOJ). However, they acknowledged that Europe often relies heavily on the U.S. for security, and that fact leaves them with “little room to maneuver.”

The officials said they were scared that Trump’s moves to crack down on migration and crime may signal “a return to the ‘cowboy era,’ when might made right and institutional guardrails were weak,” according to Politico.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has so far made 26,606 arrests in fiscal year 2025, according to agency statistics. In an effort to fight cartels, the Trump administration has also reportedly deployed naval assets to the Southern Caribbean to fend off cartels, a move that earned the ire of Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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