Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – The United States government has formally designated six Mexican cartels and two South American gangs as international terrorist organizations, a move likely to further strain U.S.-Mexico relations. The designation was confirmed Wednesday in a brief note published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the U.S. government, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, head of U.S. foreign policy.
The criminal organizations named include the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco Nueva Generación, the United Cartels, the Cartel del Noroeste, the Gulf Cartel, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. Also included are Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), which operates throughout Central and North America. Notably absent from the list is Colombia’s Clan del Golfo, which had been mentioned in prior media leaks but was excluded from the final document.
According to Rubio’s note, the newly designated groups pose a substantial risk to U.S. national security, foreign policy interests, and the economy.
The designation follows a precedent set on September 23, 2001, when President George W. Bush signed an executive order listing transnational terrorist organizations responsible for aiding the 9/11 attacks. The order targeted individuals and groups such as Osama bin Laden and Aiman al-Zawahiri, granting U.S. authorities the ability to disrupt their financial networks.
While U.S. authorities have previously sanctioned cartel leaders and frozen their assets, this new measure represents a significant escalation. By classifying these cartels as terrorist organizations, Washington now has broader legal authority to deploy counterterrorism tools traditionally reserved for fighting jihadist groups.
President Donald Trump, who issued the order on his first day in office through executive decrees, has long advocated for harsher measures against Mexican cartels. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Tuesday, Trump accused these criminal groups of fueling the fentanyl crisis in the United States and exacerbating the immigration crisis through human trafficking and other illicit activities.
“Mexico is largely governed by cartels,” Trump said, reinforcing his stance that the U.S. must take a more aggressive approach.
The designation is expected to heighten tensions between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has vocally opposed labeling cartels as terrorist organizations, warning that such a move could lead to diplomatic fallout and potential U.S. violations of Mexican sovereignty.
“If Washington moves forward with this, we will respond accordingly,” Sheinbaum said last week, hinting at possible legal actions. One response could be expanding Mexico’s lawsuit against major U.S. arms manufacturers, accusing them of enabling cartel violence.
Sheinbaum argues that American gun makers should be held accountable for their role in fueling cartel violence, citing U.S. Department of Justice data showing that 74% of firearms seized from Mexican criminal organizations originate from the United States. Each year, between 200,000 and 500,000 firearms are illegally trafficked across the border into Mexico.
Mexican officials fear that the terrorist designation could pave the way for direct U.S. military action within Mexico’s borders. These concerns have been exacerbated by reports that the CIA has ramped up surveillance flights over Mexican territory to gather intelligence on cartel activities.
While U.S. intelligence operations in Mexico are not new, sources indicate that the frequency of these missions has increased since Trump’s return to the White House. Despite concerns over sovereignty, Sheinbaum downplayed the issue in her Wednesday morning press conference, stating that these operations have been ongoing for years and are not illegal.
“There is nothing new here,” Sheinbaum insisted. “These intelligence operations have been exaggerated in the media to undermine the work of Mexican authorities in combating organized crime.”
The Mexican president remains optimistic about maintaining a working relationship with the Trump administration but emphasized that any violation of Mexico’s sovereignty would not be tolerated.
The U.S. government’s decision marks a significant shift in how it approaches cartel violence and transnational crime. By labeling these organizations as terrorist groups, federal authorities now have a broader legal framework to pursue sanctions, financial crackdowns, and, potentially, military action.
However, the move also risks further complicating relations with Mexico, a key U.S. trade partner and ally in regional security efforts. As the Sheinbaum administration weighs its response, tensions between Washington and Mexico City are expected to intensify in the coming weeks.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The United States government has formally designated six Mexican cartels and two South American gangs as international terrorist organizations, a move likely to further strain U.S.-Mexico relations. The designation was confirmed Wednesday in a brief note published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the U.S. government, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, head of U.S. foreign policy.
