The notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the brutal MS-13 organization, and half a dozen Mexican cartels have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department.
The announcement — dated Feb. 6 and published in the Federal Register Wednesday — prohibits Americans from providing “material support or resources” to the organizations — and allows the US to deport those involved in the gangs.
In addition to Tren de Aragua and MS-13, the cartels given the designations include Cartel de Sinaloa, formerly led by notorious drug lord “El Chapo;” Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo and La Nueva Familia Michoacana
President Trump had vowed to crack down on criminal drug organizations and violent gangs of illegal immigrants when he assumed office. He specifically called out Tren de Aragua, which had established a presence in more than a dozen states as of late 2024
“I will rescue Aurora and every town that has been invaded and conquered,” Trump told supporters in suburban Denver this past October, promising his administration will either “put these vicious and blood thirsty criminals in jail” or “get them the hell out of our country.”
Jose Ibarra, the convicted killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, was a member of Tren de Aragua.
Trump has also said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport illegal gang members without court appearances — but he has yet to make that announcement.
Trump has continued to crack down on illegal migrants coming across the southern and northern borders, directing border czar Tom Homan, the Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to work to deport the migrants.
The president has also pressured world leaders to accept thousands of their citizens who were illegally in the US, and has threatened Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs if they don’t shut down their borders to illegal migration.
