New Terrorist Designations for Cartels Spark Greater Tensions between U.S., Mexico
After hinting at such a move during the initial days of his presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump officially signed an executive order designating a total of eight Mexican drug cartels and Latin-American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). Formalized by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and published in the Federal Register on February 20 th , this unprecedented step escalates the U.S. fight against transnational crime and the crusade to end the opioid epidemic seen domestically. However, the move has ignited a diplomatic firestorm between the U.S. and its closest geographical neighbor in Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum has warned of staunch resistance to any perceived U.S. overreach.
The designated Mexican cartels include the country’s two largest drug trafficking outfits in the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, but also include the Northeast, Gulf, Nueva Familia Michoacana, and United Cartels. Venezuelan organized crime group Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) also join this unique grouping of designated entities, a marker typically reserved for ideologically-driven groups that have posed significant international security threats such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. According to the official designation dated February 6 th , the U.S. government has identified a "sufficient factual basis" that these organizations engage in terrorist activity and threaten the security of U.S. nationals and/or the national security of the United States. 4 Trump’s order cites the role of these entities in flooding the United States with drugs and violence and aims to constrict their financial networks via targeted economic sanctions, bar members who were not previously American citizens from entry into the U.S. moving forward, and also seek to enable prosecutions for material support provided from outsiders.
A White House press release on the potential designations expanded into how significant a role that these groups, specifically the Mexican drug cartels, have on the very infrastructure of their respective countries and the effects of their destabilizing activities on American interests. “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”, explains the release. “In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi- governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society. The Cartels’ activities threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere. Their activities, proximity to, and incursions into the physical territory of the United States pose an unacceptable national security risk to the United States.” 1
While supporters of the designations see them as a decisive blow against the ongoing fentanyl crisis, which claims thousands of American lives annually, Mexico has viewed the moves as a potential prelude to U.S. military action on its soil – a calculated action against its very sovereignty. As a result of the measures – reportedly taken without the U.S. directly consulting the Mexican government – President Sheinbaum has proposed constitutional reforms to shield Mexico from foreign intrusion and threatened to expand lawsuits against U.S. gun manufacturers, arguing that 74% of cartel firearms originate north of their border. Her government insists cartels are profit-driven and not politically motivated, and thus misfit the terrorist label – a stance that clashes with Trump’s hardline rhetoric.
This clash underscores a broader rift between the two North American counties. Trump’s border security push, including threats of 25% tariffs on Mexican goods (one that has become temporarily delayed given new developments in the countries’ relations), has strained ties with one of its key trade partners. Mexico has argued that the U.S. should focus inward on addressing the domestic gun trade and heavy drug demand rather than casting foreign cartels as a terrorist scourge requiring their intervention. Mexico has also called into question the United States’ inability to adequately investigate money laundering from the sale sale of illicit narcotics seen within its own borders. However, it is undeniable that cartels have deepened their territorial control in Mexico over recent years. Trump has countered with his belief that Mexico is “largely run” by these very cartels, which has limited the scope of authoritative action taken against them by the Mexican government to date.
All told, the designation’s implications are vast. The measures equip U.S. law enforcement with tools to target any and all cartel affiliates, from money launderers to gun suppliers, but stops short of authorizing military strikes without prior legal action. Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has further fueled speculation into the depth of America’s expected moves against the cartels, recently stating that “all options will be on the table” to protect Americans. 2 Mexico fears these developments could revive Trump’s past musings about attacking the cartels – an idea floated during his first term but never followed through on. Increased use of U.S. reconnaissance drones over Mexico recently to gather intelligence on these groups have also fueled this fire, with experts stating the designations raise the possibility of U.S. drone strikes on Mexican territory. 3 Sheinbaum’s response reflects deep unease: collaboration, yes; subordination, never.
Nevertheless the effects of the latest measures may become quite telling over the coming days. Many have speculated that President Sheinbaum’s decision made earlier this month to strengthen border protections – efforts that included reinforcing the Mexico – U.S. border with 10,000 members of the country’s National Guard in a move to help limit drug trafficking – could now be in jeopardy. The coming weeks will test whether this designation delivers security or sows discord. For now, it’s a high-stakes gambit in Trump’s war on cartels and one that adds greater unsteadiness to diplomatic tightrope treaded with Mexico.
Citations
1. “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” The White House, The United States Government, 21 Jan. 2025.
2. Carnahan, Ashley. “Defense Secretary Hegseth Says ‘all Options’ Are on the Table after Trump Floated a US Takeover of Gaza.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 6 Feb. 2025.
3. Murray, Christine. Donald Trump Designates Mexican Drug Cartels as Terrorist Groups, Financial Times, 19 Feb. 2025.
4. “U.S. Designates Mexican Cartels, Tren de Aragua and Others as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 Feb. 2025.