The U.S. Designates Drug Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

On Wednesday, February 19, the United States announced that it would officially list the "Tern de Aragua," "Sinaloa," and other drug cartels as global terrorist organizations. According to Reuters, this action comes as President Donald Trump intensifies immigration laws against members of these criminal groups in the United States. Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that these drug cartels pose a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic interests. Earlier this month, Trump postponed imposing heavy tariffs on Mexico and Canada due to what he called their "insufficient cooperation" in addressing the wave of illegal immigration and the illegal trafficking of fentanyl. CNN reported this week for the first time that the CIA is using drones for reconnaissance operations over Mexican territory. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Wednesday that the flight of American drones over Mexico is part of operational cooperation with the United States and is entirely legal. Trump had previously proposed the idea of listing drug cartels as terrorist organizations during his first term but ultimately abandoned it. According to Reuters, some senior U.S. officials at the time had privately indicated that this action could harm relations with Mexico and hinder the fight against drug trafficking. The news agency added that another concern was that this designation could make it easier for migrants fleeing from the threat of terrorism to claim asylum in the United States. Listing a group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) leads to sanctions and disrupts its financial operations through actions such as asset freezing and travel bans for members and associates of the group. It is still unclear at what level these drug cartels will be placed on the terrorist organizations list, and this will be officially announced on Thursday, February 20. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department declined to comment on this matter when asked by Reuters but stated that the United States would inform its main partners before taking any action.