The Trump administration has designated 21 criminal groups in Latin America and the Caribbean as "foreign terrorist organizations," a move that significantly expands the application of the label beyond traditional militant groups. The latest addition, an Ecuadorian group, was added to the list on Wednesday, coinciding with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, focused on counternarcotics strategy.
This designation, once reserved for groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State that employed violence for political aims, is now being applied to money-focused criminal syndicates. The administration's stated goal is to intensify pressure on these organizations and any entities deemed to be aiding them.
Expanded Strategy and Impact
The strategy, initiated in February 2025, has been cited as a justification for actions including the attempted capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and numerous attacks on alleged "narcoterrorist" vessels, resulting in over 200 fatalities. This approach has also prompted some Latin American nations to adopt similar measures against specific groups and states, such as Ecuador, which has launched joint operations on its territory.
Mexico has the highest number of groups on the list, with eight designated organizations. The Mexican government faces considerable U.S. pressure to prevent unilateral actions, particularly following indictments of high-ranking officials in Sinaloa. The administration's approach has, however, faced scrutiny, with the notable instance of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced for drug trafficking and accused of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel, receiving a pardon from President Trump last year before returning to Honduras.
Key Organizations Designated
Among the designated groups are major Mexican cartels such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel, established in the 1970s, is a vast criminal conglomerate involved in cross-continental drug trafficking. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known for its hyperviolence, is reported by the DEA to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine across all 50 U.S. states.
Other Mexican groups include the Gulf Cartel and the Northeast Cartel, which operate along the Texas border, and the Juarez Cartel, controlling a key crossing point in Ciudad Juárez. In the western state of Michoacan, La Familia Michoacana, Carteles Unidos, and Los Viagras are noted for regional control through extortion.
Central American gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), originating in Los Angeles and spreading across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, are also on the list. Both have faced significant crackdowns by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and tougher laws in Guatemala.
Colombia's Clan del Golfo, an evolution of right-wing paramilitary squads, is another designated entity, reportedly present in a third of Colombia's municipalities and involved in extortion. In Venezuela, the Tren de Aragua emerged from a prison and has expanded its operations across South America and into the U.S., engaging in migrant smuggling, human trafficking, and extreme violence. The Cartel de los Soles, alleged by the U.S. government to have been led by Nicolás Maduro, is described not as a traditional cartel but as an entity encompassing corrupt military and government officials involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining.
Ecuadorian gangs such as Los Lobos, Los Choneros, The Chone Killers, and Los Tiguerones have been blamed for escalating violence and are involved in contract killings, extortion, and drug trafficking. These groups were designated as "terrorists" by Ecuador in 2024.
Brazil's most violent criminal organizations, Commando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital, which work with numerous smaller gangs, are also included. In Haiti, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif gangs, linked to arms trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, are noted for a series of attacks that disrupted the capital and led to the former prime minister's resignation.