# Designating Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

> Directed the State Department to designate major cartels and gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Eight groups — including Sinaloa, CJNG.

Donald Trump · Foreign Policy · Executive Order · EO 14157 · Jan 20, 2025
Official record: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-02004

## What happened

Directed the State Department to designate major cartels and gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Eight groups — including Sinaloa, CJNG, MS-13 and Tren de Aragua — were designated, unlocking terrorism authorities and helping justify later military strikes.

## How it happened

Executive order signed Inauguration Day; designations took effect February 20, 2025.

## Documented impact

- [mixed / substantiated] Unlocked terrorism sanctions and 'material support' prosecutions, and pressured Mexico. — Banks must block assets; aiding designees risks severe penalties. Mexico transferred 29 cartel figures to U.S. custody after the designations.
- [negative / substantiated] Helped justify lethal military strikes raising sovereignty and war-powers concerns. — The designations underpinned the Caribbean boat strikes and threats of ground operations in Mexico; legal scholars warned strikes on Mexican soil without consent would violate international law and bypass Congress.
- [negative / contested] Created immigration traps for trafficking and extortion victims. — 'Material support' bars can render asylum seekers who were coerced by cartels inadmissible, even as victims.

## Sources

- [Federal Register: EO 14157](https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-02004)
- [PBS: 8 cartels designated as FTOs](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-designates-8-latin-american-cartels-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations)
- [WilmerHale: implications of EO 14157](https://www.wilmerhale.com/en/insights/client-alerts/20250422-implications-of-eo-14157-and-recent-foreign-terrorist-organization-and-specially-designated-global-terrorist-designations)

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