The United States remains committed to protecting our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere by stopping the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational organizations.
Today, the Department of State announces the designation of Tren de Aragua (TdA), Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Cártel de Sinaloa, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (CDN), La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM), Cártel de Golfo (CDG), and Cárteles Unidos (CU) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
- TdA is a transnational organization that originated in Venezuela with cells in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, with further reports of sporadic presence in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Brazil. This brutal criminal group has conducted kidnappings, extorted businesses, bribed public officials, authorized its members to attack and kill U.S. law enforcement, and assassinated a Venezuelan opposition figure.
- MS-13 is a transnational organization that originated in Los Angeles but shifted to Central America as individuals were deported there from the United States. MS-13 actively recruits, organizes, and spreads violence in several countries, primarily in Central America and North America, including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. MS-13 has conducted numerous violent attacks, including assassination and the use of IEDs and drones, against El Salvador government officials and facilities. Additionally, MS-13 uses public displays of violence to intimidate civilian populations to obtain and control territory and manipulate the electoral process in El Salvador.
- Cártel de Sinaloa is a transnational organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico. It is one of the world’s most powerful drug cartels and is one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States. Cártel de Sinaloa has used violence to murder, kidnap, and intimidate civilians, government officials, and journalists.
- CJNG is a transnational organization with a presence in nearly every part of Mexico. In addition to trafficking fentanyl, the group engages in extortion, migrant smuggling, oil and mineral theft, as well as weapons trade. The group has contacts across the Americas, as well as in Australia, China, and Southeast Asia. CJNG has conducted intimidating acts of violence, including attacks on Mexican military and police with military grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement, and assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican officials.
- CDN, formerly known as Los Zetas, is a transnational organization based in northeastern Mexico involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, human smuggling, and other illicit activities. CDN uses violence to exert its criminal control, including attacks against government officials in Mexico.
- LNFM is the successor of the La Familia Michoacana, a violent transnational organization based in the Pacific coast state of Michoacan with operations in the Mexican states Guerrero, Morelos, and Mexico. In addition to drug trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion, LNFM attacks government officials and uses violence, including drone attacks and explosives, to exert its criminal control and terrorize communities.
- CDG is a violent transnational organization based in northeast Mexico involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, human smuggling, and other illicit activities. CDG employs violence, including assassinations of civilians and government officials to intimidate the public and control territory.
- CU is a violent transnational organization that formed from an alliance of multiple cartels and other groups in Michoacán, Mexico. Since its formation, CU has engaged in violent activities which have resulted in numerous civilian, military, and law enforcement casualties.
Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to carry out attacks. As a result of actions taken today, all property and interests in property of those designated today that are in the United States or that are in possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Moreover, designations can assist law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.
Today’s actions are taken pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and Executive Order 13224, as amended. FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register.
Petitioners requesting removal of those designated today from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List should refer to the Department of State’s Delisting Guidance page.
