Trump admin reveals list of cartels to be designated terrorist organizations

The Trump administration recently sent a list of over half a dozen drug cartels to Congress, which it plans to designate as foreign terrorist organizations. Among the groups on the list is the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which has ties to Nicolás Maduro and has been causing chaos in U.S. cities.

Other organizations included in the list are the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, as well as several Mexican cartels such as Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas, Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office directing the State Department to designate cartels and criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations. The State Department has already informed congressional committees of the organizations it plans to designate as terror groups.

The order specifically mentioned Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as groups that need to be designated as terror organizations. It gave Secretary of State Marco Rubio 14 days to make policy recommendations regarding the designation of criminal groups as terrorist organizations.

A foreign terrorist designation expands the government’s ability to crack down on criminal groups operating in the U.S., allowing all government agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, to target the group from every angle.

The order states that these groups pose a threat to national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the United States. It invokes the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare a national emergency to deal with these threats.

Designating these groups as foreign terrorist organizations places them at the highest level of U.S. national security interest, allowing their funding and any organizations enabling them to be targeted as well.

Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society, explained that this designation puts these groups on notice and shows that the U.S. is aware of their activities and will take action against them.

The move by the Trump administration aims to eliminate these organizations’ presence in the U.S. and their ability to threaten the safety and security of the country. It sends a strong message that criminal groups will not be tolerated and will be targeted by all means necessary.

In conclusion, the Trump administration’s decision to designate these drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations is a significant step in combatting organized crime and protecting the American people. By targeting these groups and their funding sources, the U.S. is working to dismantle their operations and ensure the safety and security of the nation.