Trump list of US-designated foreign terrorist organizations in Latin America grows to 21
The Trump administration has designated 21 Latin American and Caribbean criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” with the latest an Ecuadorian group added to the list on Wednesday.The announcement came during the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru where he is focused on the US strategy to combat drug trafficking in Latin America. The label was once reserved for groups like the Islamic State group or al-Qaida that use violence for political ends — not for money-focused crime rings.But Trump’s aim was to increase pressure on the groups and anyone who the US sees as aiding them.The strategy rolled out in February 2025 and served as a pretext for the capture of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, and for dozens of attacks on alleged “narcoterrorist” boats, resulting in more than 200 deaths.
It also led Latin American countries such as Guatemala and Argentina to take similar actions against certain groups and states like Ecuador to launch joint operations on Ecuadorian soil.Mexico, with eight groups on the list, has the most of any country.Its government is under extreme pressure from the US to avoid Trump unilateral actions, especially since the indictments of high-ranking officials in Sinaloa state.But Trump’s approach has also revealed contradictions.
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced to 45 years for drug trafficking and accused during the trial to protect the Sinaloa Cartel, was pardoned by Trump last year and has returned to his country. Here’s a look at the 21 Latin American and Caribbean criminal groups labeled as foreign terrorist organizations:1.The main targets: Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartelsThe Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, named for the states that are their strongholds in northwestern Mexico, are multinational criminal groups and the largest fentanyl traffickers into the US.The Sinaloa Cartel is Mexico’s oldest criminal...