- The Trump administration is reportedly designating eight transnational gangs with roots in Latin America and Mexico as foreign terrorist organizations, according to five U.S. officials who spoke with The New York Times. Sources requested anonymity and stated the U.S. State Department would implement the designation.
- The White House has already alerted several congressional committees about the designations, and they could come as early as this week.
- Sources told The New York Times that President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make the designations over two weeks with help from other administration officials.
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The Trump administration continues its crackdown on transnational human and drug traffickers, reportedly preparing to designate eight cartels as terrorist organizations. The eight transnational gangs have roots in Latin America and Mexico, according to a New York Times report.
Who knows about the designations?
The officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday, Feb. 12, stated that the U.S. State Department will execute the designation and have already informed several congressional committees of the change. The designations could come as early as this week.
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Sources told The New York Times that President Donald Trump ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make the designations over two weeks with help from other administration officials.
What does the designation do?
Reports suggested that the cartels could be classified as foreign terrorist organizations or specially designated global terrorists. This classification enables the U.S. to impose extensive economic sanctions on the groups and individuals linked to them.
Why are the designations coming?
The expanded effort against transnational gangs comes after an executive order by Trump calling for more resources to combat cartels at the southern border.
The order mandated the designation of cartels as terrorist organizations, stating that they represent “a national security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime.”
The order explicitly mentions the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the Salvadoran gang MS-13.
The State Department will designate eight criminal organizations, including those listed in the executive order as well as six others. These groups include the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Northeast Cartel, Michoacan Family, United Cartels, and Gulf Clan, which is based in Colombia, according to U.S. officials.
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An American official familiar with the list informed The New York Times that the list included the Gulf Clan due to its connections to human smuggling across the Darién Gap that links South and North America.
The identified criminal organizations are also connected to the movement of fentanyl and other drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.
A U.S. official told the news outlet that the net profits from the global operations of Mexico’s drug cartels could reach as high as $20 billion annually, which is nearly 2% of Mexico’s gross domestic product.
Tags: Border, Border crossings, Border czar, Border patrol, Crime, Donald Trump, Drug cartels, Drug smuggling, Drugs, Gang Violence, Gulf cartel, Human Rights, Mexico, National Security, organized crime, State Department, Terrorism, Trafficking, Tren de Aragua, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S.-Mexico Border, White House
[CRAIG NIGRELLI]
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS CONTINUING ITS CRACKDOWN ON TRANSNATIONAL HUMAN AND DRUG TRAFFICKERS.
THIS TIME, DESIGNATING EIGHT TRANSNATIONAL GANGS WITH LATIN AMERICAN AND MEXICAN ROOTS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS, ACCORDING TO FIVE U-S OFFICIALS SPEAKING WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES.
THE OFFICIALS WHO SPOKE ON THE CONDITION OF ANONYMITY WEDNESDAY SAID THE DESIGNATION WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND SEVERAL CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES HAVE ALREADY BEEN NOTIFIED.
REVEALING THE DESIGNATIONS COULD BE ANNOUNCED AS SOON AS THIS WEEK.
SOURCES TELL THE NEW YORK TIMES; SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO WAS ORDERED BY TRUMP TO MAKE THE DESIGNATIONS WITH HELP FROM OTHER ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS OVER TWO WEEKS.
THE CARTELS MAY REPORTEDLY BE LABELED FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS OR SPECIALLY DESIGNATED GLOBAL TERRORISTS, WHICH ALLOWS THE U-S TO IMPOSE BROAD ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON THE GROUPS AND PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
THE EXPANDED EFFORT AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL GANGS COMES AFTER AN EXECUTIVE ORDER BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CALLING FOR MORE RESOURCES TO COMBAT CARTELS AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
THE ORDER CALLED FOR DESIGNATIONS OF CARTELS SAYING THEY ARE “A NATIONAL-SECURITY THREAT BEYOND THAT POSED BY TRADITIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME.”
THE ORDER SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA AS WELL AS SALVADORIAN GANG M-S- 13.
THE EIGHT CRIMINAL NETWORKS SET TO BE DESIGNATED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT INCLUDE, THOSE MENTIONED IN THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, AS WELL AS SIX OTHERS, SUCH AS THE SINALOA CARTEL, JALISCO NEW GENERATION CARTEL, THE NORTHEAST CARTEL, THE MICHOACAN FAMILY AND THE UNITED CARTELS, AND THE GULF CLAN, WHICH IS BASED IN COLOMBIA, ACCORDING TO U-S OFFICIALS.
AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE LIST SAYS THE GULF CLAN’S INCLUSION IS BECAUSE OF ITS TIES TO HUMAN SMUGGLING THROUGH THE DARIEN GAP CONNECTING SOUTH AND NORTH AMERICA.
THE DESIGNATED CRIMINAL GROUPS ARE ALSO TIED TO THE FLOW OF FENTANYL AND OTHER DRUGS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN BORDER.
A U-S OFFICIAL TOLD THE TIMES, THE NET PROFITS FROM GLOBAL OPERATIONS OF MEXICO’S DRUG CARTELS ALONE COULD BE AS HIGH AS 20-BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY, WHICH IS NEARLY TWO PERCENT OF MEXICO’S GROSS PRODUCT.
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