State Department Set to Label Latin American Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

The Trump administration is preparing to classify over a half-dozen criminal organizations based in Latin America as foreign terrorist entities, according to insights from five U.S. officials familiar with the pending announcement. This significant move is a consequence of an executive order signed by President Trump on January 20, which called for a robust response against major drug cartels.While the exact list of designated groups has yet to be finalized, it is anticipated that eight organizations will be included in the designation. These officials, who opted for anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, highlighted that the impending designations come as a response to the cartels being identified as a national security risk exceeding conventional organized crime issues.President Trump has assigned Secretary of State Marco Rubio a two-week timeframe to consult with other cabinet members to finalize the list. The actions may classify these criminal groups and their affiliates either as foreign terrorist organizations or as specially designated global terrorists. Such classifications enable the U.S. government to impose extensive economic sanctions against them and their associated individuals or organizations.The executive order primarily addresses cartels operating within Mexico and also specifically mentions Tren de Aragua from Venezuela, alongside Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), an infamous gang initially rooted in Salvadoran immigrant communities in the U.S., though its involvement in the drug trade is comparatively minimal.Alongside Tren de Aragua and MS-13, the State Department is expected to designate the Colombian-based Clan del Golfo and five additional organizations that operate within Mexico. These include the notorious Sinaloa cartel, Jalisco New Generation cartel, Northeast cartel, Michoacán family, and United cartels, as confirmed by U.S. officials.