- The Trump administration designated six drug cartels and two gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations.” The declaration fulfills a campaign promise and executive order.
- Organizations added to the list include MS-13 and the Sinaloa Cartel.
- The designations carry legal ramifications that are meant to hurt the organizations’ resources and finances.
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The Trump administration officially designated six drug cartels and two gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTO) Wednesday, Feb. 19. The declaration fulfills one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises and an executive order he signed on his first day in office.
The organizations that received the designation include Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Tepalcatepec Cartel, Los Zetas Cartel, Gulf Cartel and La Nueva Familia Michoacana.
An official terrorist designation made by the State Department carries legal ramifications:
- Everyone in the United States, regardless of citizenship, is banned from doing business or providing “material support” to the organizations.
- Members of the organizations cannot enter the United States, and those who are already here can be removed.
- U.S. financial institutions must freeze funds that belong to the organizations and report it to the Department of Treasury.
“The Cartels functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force, nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States,” Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order stated. “In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi-governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society.”
The designation is made under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It requires three criteria be met –– the organization must be foreign, must engage in terrorist activity as defined by law, and the terrorist activity must threaten U.S. nationals and/or national security.
There are several terrorist activities listed under the INA, including the use of explosives, hostage taking, assassinations and more.
Drug cartels are known to do each of those things on a regular basis. For instance, members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s leadership were indicted in November on drug trafficking charges and were accused of murder, kidnapping and firearms violations.
The designation was made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary, fulfilling a campaign promise by Trump.
U.S. statutes give organizations designated as FTOs 30 days to appeal at the Court of Appeals in D.C.
