Trump administration expands 'terrorist' designations to 21 Latin American criminal groups

The Trump administration has significantly expanded its use of foreign terrorist organization designations to target Latin American criminal networks, with 21 groups now listed including powerful Mexican cartels, Central American gangs, and South American trafficking organizations. This policy shift announced during Secretary of State Marco Rubio's February 2025 tour of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru represents a dramatic departure from traditional counterterrorism approaches that previously focused on ideologically motivated groups like al-Qaida.

Strategic expansion of terrorism designations

The administration's February 2025 strategy explicitly links drug trafficking organizations to terrorism, providing legal justification for more aggressive interdiction efforts that have already resulted in over 200 deaths during maritime operations. This framework also supported the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom U.S. officials accused of leading the Cartel de los Soles drug trafficking organization. The policy has prompted several Latin American governments to adopt similar measures, with Ecuador launching joint operations on its soil and Guatemala designating gangs like MS-13 as terrorist groups.

Mexico faces particularly intense pressure as home to eight designated organizations. The indictments of high-ranking officials in Sinaloa state have heightened tensions between the two countries, with the U.S. threatening unilateral actions if Mexico fails to sufficiently combat cartel operations. The policy's implementation has revealed contradictions, however, as seen in former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández's pardon despite his conviction for drug trafficking and alleged protection of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Mexico's cartel landscape

The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) dominate Mexico's criminal underworld and represent the primary targets of U.S. counter-narcotics efforts. The Sinaloa organization, operational since the 1970s, maintains sophisticated smuggling networks using boats, planes, cross-border tunnels and migrant routes. While the arrest of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada triggered internal power struggles, the cartel continues controlling key western border regions and moving diverse drug shipments across continents.

CJNG has rapidly ascended through extreme violence and technological innovation, including deploying explosive-dropping drones against Mexican authorities. The group's attempted assassination of Mexico City's police chief demonstrated its willingness to attack high-profile targets. According to DEA assessments, CJNG now distributes tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl across all 50 U.S. states. The organization has maintained operational cohesion despite the February killing of leader Nemesio Oseguera "El Mencho" and ongoing arrests of key figures.

Border region cartels

Three designated cartels operate crucial smuggling corridors along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Gulf Cartel and its offshoot Northeast Cartel control eastern routes that serve as direct pathways from Central and South America. The Gulf Cartel's legacy includes creating the notoriously violent Zetas paramilitary group in the late 1990s by recruiting Mexican special forces soldiers. These organizations now traffic drugs, weapons, migrants and illicit proceeds through Nuevo Laredo, the busiest commercial port on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Juárez Cartel has maintained its stronghold around Ciudad Juárez opposite El Paso, Texas for decades, turning cross-border smuggling into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Despite numerous leadership arrests, the cartel preserves extensive infrastructure for moving illegal shipments into the U.S., demonstrating the resilience of established trafficking networks against sustained law enforcement pressure.

Central American gang crisis

MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) and Barrio 18 represent the most notorious street gangs in Central America, both originating among Salvadoran immigrant communities in Los Angeles before being exported through U.S. deportation policies. These groups now terrorize communities across El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras through extortion, drug trafficking and extreme violence. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's aggressive crackdown has imprisoned over 80,000 alleged gang members since 2022, while Guatemala officially designated both groups as terrorist organizations in October 2024.

These gangs exemplify how U.S. policies can inadvertently strengthen transnational criminal networks. Their transformation from local street gangs to regionwide security threats underscores the complex challenges of addressing organized crime that spans international borders and legal jurisdictions.

South American criminal networks

Colombia's Clan del Golfo (AGC) represents one of South America's most powerful armed groups, with approximately 9,000 fighters operating in about a third of Colombia's municipalities according to human rights reports. The group evolved from right-wing paramilitaries that battled Marxist guerrillas during Colombia's decades-long conflict. Despite brief peace talks with the Colombian government in 2024, the election of President Abelardo de la Espriella derailed negotiations, leaving the group's future role uncertain.

Venezuela's Tren de Aragua has expanded its operations alongside the country's mass migration crisis, growing from a prison gang into a transnational criminal enterprise involved in human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor across multiple countries. The group's extreme violence, including decapitations and live burials, has made it one of South America's most feared criminal organizations.

Ecuador's security deterioration

The recent designation of Ecuadorian groups including Los Choneros, Los Tiguerones and Los Lobos reflects the country's rapid descent into violence as criminal organizations battle for control of Pacific drug trafficking routes. These gangs have transformed Ecuador's prisons into war zones, with hundreds killed in inmate massacres since 2021. The government designated 22 groups as terrorist organizations in 2024 amid escalating violence that has affected all economic sectors, including the critical avocado export industry.

Los Tiguerones exemplifies how quickly new criminal groups can emerge, forming in 2019 as the armed wing of established cartel Los Choneros before developing independent operations in contract killings and extortion. The U.S. designation aims to support Ecuador's efforts to regain control of its security situation, but the long-term effectiveness remains uncertain given the deep penetration of criminal networks into state institutions and the economy.

Implications of the terrorism framework

The Trump administration's expansion of terrorist designations to include criminal organizations creates significant legal and operational implications. By classifying these groups as terrorist entities, the U.S. gains broader authority to pursue financial sanctions, travel bans and military interventions against them. However, this approach risks conflating distinct security challenges and potentially justifying human rights violations under counterterrorism frameworks.

The policy also raises questions about consistency, as seen in the pardon of convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández. Furthermore, designations like Venezuela's Cartel de los Soles, which broadly encompasses government officials and military officers, blur the lines between combating organized crime and pursuing political objectives. As Latin American governments grapple with these designations' consequences, the long-term impact on regional security cooperation, drug trafficking patterns and state sovereignty remains uncertain.