The Trump Administration fulfilled its threat on Thursday, February 20, and declared the main drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist groups. In a statement, the United States Department of Defense formalized the executive order signed by Trump on his first day leading the White House. This marks a paradigm shift, as Washington used to apply this designation against groups with a political agenda, something that drug traffickers do not have.
Specifically, Secretary of State Marco Rubio included the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Northeast Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, the New Michoacan Family, and United Cartels on the terrorist list. In addition to these Mexican groups, he also designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and the Central American gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as terrorists.
The statement reads: 'In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, it has been concluded that there is sufficient factual basis to find that relevant circumstances exist with respect to these groups.'
The designation of the Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations has raised uncertainty about a possible American intervention in Mexican territory. According to U.S. legislation, to designate a group as a foreign terrorist organization, it must engage in terrorist activities that pose a threat to the safety of U.S. citizens or national security.
Since his first term, Trump considered declaring the Mexican cartels as terrorists, but did not do so at the request of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. However, in recent years, Trump supported the measure due to the increase in deaths from fentanyl overdoses in the U.S., a substance that Washington claims is manufactured by the cartels with chemical products from China.
Mexico opposed the U.S. taking this step for fear of a potential American intervention in its territory. Although the designation does not grant authority to use military force in another country, it could facilitate counter-terrorism operations with Congressional authorization. The CIA has been using spy drones to monitor Mexican cartels and locate fentanyl labs since the Biden Administration.
Trump justified this measure by stating that Mexico 'is largely governed by the cartels,' while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum asserted that her government has no ties to drug trafficking and denied a U.S. invasion.
