U.S. designates Mexican cartels, Tren de Aragua and others as foreign terrorist organizations

The U.S. State Department has designated Mexican drug cartels as well as MS-13 and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations, according to a document that is set to be published Thursday in the Federal Register.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the designation, posted online for preview on Wednesday, which will open the door for possible financial sanctions against Tren de Aragua and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as well as the following drug cartels: Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that paved the way for the designation, blaming the cartels for “a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs.”

According to the designation, dated Feb. 6, there is “sufficient factual basis” that finds the organizations engage in terrorist activity and threaten the security of U.S. nationals and/or the national security of the United States.

The formal move by the State Department raises questions about the timing of possible financial sanctions on the groups and those who are linked to them. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sam Chapman, a California father whose 16-year-old son Sammy died of fentanyl poisoning in 2021, told NBC News he believes the designation is necessary. “I am all for it — lots of us parents are impressed with how the Trump administration has put fentanyl at the top of the top of the list,” he said.

“We need to take military action,” Chapman said.

What’s unclear is what the designation means for the use of military force, including against Mexico.

In her morning press conference Wednesday, before news of the changes broke, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted to the possibility of a drug cartel designation.

“What we do not accept is the violation of our sovereignty,” she said, adding that they will not accept “extraterritorial actions” by the U.S.

Sheinbaum also said that a designation could open up new opportunities to partner with U.S. law enforcement on money laundering investigations, which could be “very good.”

She specified that since drugs are sold in the U.S., it would be good to investigate groups that are operating and laundering money in the U.S.

Rubio did not rule out military force against Mexican cartels in his confirmation hearing, but said his preference would be to find areas of cooperation.

“There’s a lot we can and we’ll continue to do in close partnership with our allies in Mexico,” Rubio said. “I think there’s more they can do as well to confront this challenge, and my preference would be, from the department state’s perspective, my preference would be that we can work with the Mexicans on this issue cooperatively.”