Which Cartels and Groups Is Trump Designating as Foreign Terrorist Organizations?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio—in consultation with the secretary of the treasury and the attorney general—has the authority to make these designations. Once it is made, Congress has a seven-day period to block the action before the designation goes into effect. The designation for these eight criminal organizations went into effect on February 19. 

According to the Department of State, the designation makes it illegal for individuals under U.S. jurisdiction to “knowingly provide material support or resources” to an FTO, which includes financial aid, lodging, and services, among others. The designation also means non-U.S. citizens that are affiliated with an FTO cannot enter and can at times be removed from the United States. As for financial ramifications, U.S. financial institutions must retain and report funds they identify as linked to an FTO. In general, the designation widens who can be charged for supporting these criminal groups. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum came out against designating Mexican criminal groups as FTOs. On February 20, she said Mexico was not consulted prior to the designation and announced she will propose two constitutional reforms, one to reinforce Mexico's sovereignty and another to combat arms trafficking.

The designation of these eight groups brings the total number of FTOs to 76. That includes four preexisting Latin American groups. Three are from Colombia: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), FARC dissident group Segunda Marquetalia, and the National Liberation Army (ELN). One, the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) is from Peru. 

A foreign organization can petition to be removed from the list after two years and, if no dispute is filed, the Department of State needs to review the designation status every five years. 

• Years active: 1960s to now 
• Geography: Mainly in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Durango, and Chihuahua, though the cartel has cells across Mexico, especially near the U.S. border, and a presence around the world. 
• Main criminal activity: Drug trafficking. As of late, they’ve been central to the production of synthetic fentanyl.

Founded by peasant families in the Mexican state of Sinaloa in the 1960s and 70s, the Sinaloa Cartel is now one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the hemisphere and considered one of the two most dangerous in Mexico. The Sinaloa Cartel is well-known for its former leaders, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, and the cartel’s 1985 assassination of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

The Sinaloa Cartel operates as a series of cells in Mexico and abroad and has alliances with other criminal groups across the hemisphere.

There have been several high-profile convictions of Mexican public officials who took bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, including former secretary of public security Genaro García Luna (2006– 2012). The Sinaloa Cartel remains in control of most of the Western U.S.–Mexico border and has used arrangements with Chinese chemical suppliers to dominate fentanyl production. Moreover, a 2024 court case in California unveiled a large money laundering ring between the Sinaloa cartel and wealthy Chinese citizens. 

• Years active: 2009 to now
• Geography: Across Mexico, but especially in Jalisco. There’s a large presence in Colima, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Nayarit, Puebla, Querétaro, and Veracruz.
• Main criminal activity: Mostly drug trafficking, though they have engaged in a wide range of criminal activity, including extortion, kidnapping, illegal mining, and oil theft.

Considered one of the most dangerous transnational criminal organization by the U.S. government, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) emerged in 2009 from the Milenio Cartel, a group allied with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Since then, the CJNG has become infamous for its use of public violence, its sophisticated firearms, and its public relations campaigns, which have included delivering goods to citizens. Under the leadership of Nemesio “El Mecho” Oseguera, the CJNG is known for its brazen high-profile attacks on public officials, such as its 2020 assassination attempt on Mexico City’s then-security chief Omar Harfuch. 

• Years active: 2014 to now
• Geography: Based out of Nuevo Laredo with presence across northeastern Mexico
• Main criminal activities: Drug trafficking, extortion, and oil theft.

The Northeast Cartel broke off of the once dominant Los Zetas cartel in 2014. Now, it controls Nuevo Laredo, a major port on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

• Years active: 1980s to now
• Geography: Based in Michoacán, the group also has cells in other states in central and western Mexico.
• Main criminal activities: Drug trafficking and the production of methamphetamines

The history of the Michoacán Family goes back to the 1980s when it was formed to protect the residents of the state from criminals. This ethos is still held by the organization even as it has become a large criminal enterprise itself. Members of the Michoacán Family trained with the once powerful Los Zetas cartel but splintered off in 2006. After several years of growth, leadership disputes in 2011 led to the group weakening. It still remains a major force, especially in the production of methamphetamines.

The cartel is known for its religious-adjacent ideology. Its former leader published his own bible and members must attend prayer meetings. 

• Years active: 2010, 2019 to now
• Geography: Michoacán, Mexico
• Main criminal activities: Drug trafficking, especially methamphetamine and heroin. 

The United Cartels exists as an alliance between several smaller criminal groups in the state of Michoácan. The moniker was first used in 2010 when several groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel, came together to stop the advance of the Zetas.

The United Cartels was resurrected around 2019 to push back against the CJNG’s entrance into Michaocán. Groups in the United Cartels include Cartel del Abuelo, Los Viagras, and some cells of the Michoacán Family, the Knights Templar, and the White Trojans. Much of the warfare between the United Cartels and CJNG is over the control of methamphetamine production.

• Years active: 1930s to now
• Geography: Based out of Matamoros, Tamaulipas with a presence in eastern states in Mexico and in Texas.
• Main criminal activities: Drug trafficking and other smuggling activities.

The Gulf Cartel’s history goes back to the Prohibition era when its members smuggled alcohol into the United States. In the 1980s, the cartel began to also transport cocaine across the border and allied with the Cali Cartel.

In the 1990s, the Los Zetas cartel was formed within the Gulf Cartel. The groups split around 2010 and engaged in large-scale confrontation. The Gulf Cartel remains an important force on the U.S.–Mexico border, though the group has been fragmented.

• Years active: 1980s to now
• Geography: Mainly across the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
• Main criminal activities: Extortion, black mail, racketeering, human smuggling, drug and sex trafficking, assassinations, and violence. 

The Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is a criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles during the 1980s. Its members, which the Department of Justice estimates to be around 10,000 in the United States and 30,000 globally, are mostly Salvadoran immigrants and Salvadoran Americans. In 2012, the department designated the MS-13 as a “transnational criminal organization,” making it the first “transnational criminal street gang” to be categorized as such. 

In 2022, President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador following a gang killing spree that left over 80 people dead. Since then, the Salvadoran security forces have arrested more than 84,000 people suspected to be connected with gangs, weakening MS-13 in the country. 

• Years active: 2010s to now
• Geography: Venezuela, the United States, and across Central and South America (mainly Colombia, Chile, and Peru).
• Main criminal activity: Human smuggling and trafficking, targeting migrants mostly. They have also been involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and illegal mining, among other crimes. 

The Tren de Aragua originated as a gang at the Tocorón prison in the state of Aragua, Venezuela in the early 2010s. Soon, the group controlled the prison as its operation center. In 2023, the Venezuelan military deployed over 11,000 troops to take back Tocorón, but the Tren de Aragua had already expanded well beyond Venezuela. The head of the organization, Héctor Rustherford Guerrero Flores, known as "Niño Guerrero,” escaped Tocorón before the military took over. 

After spreading within Venezuela, the gang became a transnational criminal organization, expanding to Colombia through the border and later to other countries in the hemisphere. In July 2024, former President Joe Biden designated the Tren de Aragua as a “transnational criminal organization,” just like the MS-13.