United States designates 21 Latin American criminal groups as terrorist organizations

The United States has expanded its list of “foreign terrorist organizations” in Latin America and the Caribbean to include 21 groups. This policy shift marks a departure from previous decades, where the designation was primarily reserved for ideological or political groups like Al Qaeda. Washington is now applying the classification to criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking.

Mexico is the country most affected by this expansion, with eight criminal organizations now designated as terrorist entities. These include the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Gulf Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, the Juárez Cartel, the Nueva Familia Michoacana, Carteles Unidos, and Los Viagras. The Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG remain primary targets due to their significant international presence.

This escalation in US policy coincides with increased regional pressure against organized crime. In Chihuahua, Mexico, the violence associated with these groups continues, exemplified by a recent armed attack on a state police helicopter in the Coyame-Ojinaga rural area. During the surveillance mission, an officer was wounded by gunfire, an incident authorities attributed to “terrorist groups of organized crime” operating near the border.