Elements of the Mexican Army, the National Guard and the Jalisco Security Secretariat guard one of four armored vehicles that were seized from drug cartels in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco State, Mexico, in February 2025. The raid netted four arrests, and authorities seized material to make explosives, video surveillance cameras, tactical equipment and several firearms. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. government is formally designating eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations, upping its pressure on cartels operating in the country and on anyone aiding them. The move, carrying out a January 20, 2025, executive order by President Donald Trump, names Tren de Aragua in Venezuela, MS-13 in El Salvador and six Mexico crime organizations including the Sinaloa cartel, Jalisco New Generation, Gulf, Northeast, La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Carteles Unidos. The designation was published in the February 20 edition of the Federal Register, according to a notice.
The U.S. has made securing its southern border with Mexico a top priority, vowing to carry out mass deportations, sending active-duty troops to the border and reaching deals with some countries to take in more migrants. The “foreign terrorist organization” label is unusual because it deploys a terrorist designation normally reserved for groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State group that use violence for political ends — not for money-focused crime rings such as the Latin American cartels.
The U.S. government argues that the international connections and operations of the groups — including drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and violent pushes to extend their territory —warrant the designation.
U.S. authorities say Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, poses a threat in various U.S. cities. The violent street gang MS-13 originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s in communities made up largely of refugees from El Salvador’s civil war and other immigrants, growing to include many U.S. citizens. The gang is known for brutal violence and street-level drug sales. The six Mexico-based groups designated as terrorist groups include the Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s oldest criminal group, which traffics drugs, weapons and people. One of Sinaloa’s most lucrative businesses in recent years has been the production of fentanyl, blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year in the U.S. Sinaloa imports the precursor chemicals from China, produces the drug and smuggles it across the border. The other cartels targeted by the U.S. are Jalisco New Generation, Gulf, Northeast, La Nueva Familia Michoacana and Carteles Unidos.