Trump Expands Latin American Terrorist Designations to 22 Criminal Groups/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ The Trump administration expanded its list of designated foreign terrorist organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean to 22 groups Friday. The latest addition, Guatemala’s Los Lorenzana, joins major Mexican cartels and criminal organizations operating across the region. The strategy increases financial, criminal and immigration pressure while accompanying a broader US campaign against alleged drug-trafficking networks.
Quick Look
- Latest designation: Guatemala’s Los Lorenzana was added Friday.
- Regional total: The administration has designated 22 Latin American and Caribbean criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
- Mexico leads: Eight Mexican organizations appear on the list.
- Separate sanctions: Los Huistas and Los Mendoza received Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations, a different classification.
- Major targets: Listed organizations include the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.
- Regional influence: Guatemala and Argentina have pursued similar designations, while Ecuador has conducted joint operations with US forces.
- Venezuela distinction: Cartel de los Soles is an umbrella term for alleged official corruption networks rather than a conventional cartel.
- Policy contradiction: Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández despite his drug-trafficking conviction.
Deep Look
Los Lorenzana Becomes Latest Group Designated
MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration has expanded its list of foreign terrorist organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean to 22 criminal groups, adding Guatemala’s Los Lorenzana on Friday.
The strategy, launched in February 2025, applies a classification historically associated with politically motivated groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State to organizations primarily driven by criminal profit.
The administration aims to increase pressure on the groups and people or businesses it considers to be supporting them.
The designations have accompanied a broader regional campaign that includes the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and dozens of strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed more than 200 people.
Foreign Terrorist and Financial Designations Differ
Los Lorenzana is a family-based criminal organization operating in eastern and northern Guatemala near Honduras.
Guatemalan authorities accuse it of drug trafficking and links to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. The State Department described it as “one of Guatemala’s most powerful drug trafficking clans.”
Alongside its foreign terrorist organization designation, Los Lorenzana received a separate Specially Designated Global Terrorist designation.
Two other Guatemalan groups, Los Huistas and Los Mendozareceived the latter designation over allegations of material support to Mexican cartels.
The distinction matters: the financial designation primarily imposes sanctions, while the foreign terrorist organization classification also carries specific criminal and immigration consequences.
Mexico Has Eight Organizations on the List
Mexico accounts for more designated groups than any other country in the region.
The organizations range from multinational trafficking networks to groups whose power rests on regional extortion and control of border routes.
| Mexican organization | Principal activities or areas described in the report |
|---|---|
| Sinaloa Cartel | International drug trafficking and smuggling routes along the western US-Mexico border |
| Jalisco New Generation Cartel | Fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine distribution; attacks on authorities |
| Gulf Cartel | Trafficking along the eastern border region |
| Northeast Cartel | Former Zetas network based around Nuevo Laredo |
| Juarez Poster | Smuggling infrastructure around Ciudad Juárez and El Paso |
| New Michoacan Family | Synthetic drugs, extortion and regional control |
| United Posters | Criminal operations and extortion in Michoacan |
| Viagras | Regional trafficking, extortion and shifting criminal alliances |
The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are the largest fentanyl traffickers into the United States.
Sinaloa has faced internal conflict following the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Jalisco has maintained its strength despite the February killing of leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” and subsequent arrests.
Border Networks and Extortion Extend Cartel Influence
The Gulf and Northeast cartels operate along the eastern end of the US-Mexico bordermoving drugs, migrants, weapons and money.
The Northeast Cartel emerged from the Zetas, whose origins trace to former military personnel recruited by Gulf Cartel leadership.
The Juarez Cartel has maintained extensive smuggling infrastructure around Ciudad Juárez, across from El Paso, despite repeated arrests of its leaders.
In Michoacan, Nueva Familia Michoacana, Carteles Unidos and Viagras have consolidated influence through extortion and changing alliances.
Their activities affect businesses across the economy, including avocado producers supplying the US market.
Central American Gangs Remain Major Targets
MS-13 and Barrio 18 operate principally in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Both originated in Los Angeles and expanded in Central America as members were deported from the United States.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's crackdown has substantially weakened their operations, with more than 80,000 people imprisoned over alleged gang connections.
Guatemala also designated the gangs as terrorist organizations and strengthened laws against them last October.
The US approach has encouraged similar steps elsewhere in the region, including Argentina.
Colombian and Venezuelan Networks Draw Scrutiny
Colombia’s Clan del Golfo, also known as AGC, has an estimated 9,000 fighters and influence across roughly one-third of the country’s municipalities.
The organization developed from right-wing paramilitary groups and engages in trafficking and extortion. Peace talks with Colombia’s government ended following Abelardo de la Espriella’s election as president.
Venezuela's Aragua Train emerged from a prison and expanded across the Americas amid the displacement of millions of Venezuelans.
Its activities include migrant smuggling, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Cartel de los Soles presents a different case. The name historically described networks of military officers and other officials accused of profiting from criminal activity, rather than a single conventional cartel.
US authorities alleged that Maduro led such a drug-trafficking organization. Its terrorist designation preceded his January capture by less than six weeks.
Ecuadorian Gangs Fight Over Routes and Territory
Four Ecuadorian groups appear on the US list: Los Lobos, Los Choneros, the Chone Killers and Los Tiguerones.
Authorities link them to killings, extortion and drug trafficking, including competition for Pacific export routes and control inside prisons.
Los Tiguerones formed in Guayaquil in 2019 as an armed wing of Los Choneros.
Ecuador designated these organizations among 22 criminal gangs as terrorists in 2024. That Ecuadorian total is separate from the US regional list of 22 groups.
The country has also conducted joint operations with American forces.
Brazilian and Haitian Groups Expand the Regional Reach
Brazil's Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital command thousands of members and maintain connections with smaller gangs.
Their criminal networks extend beyond Brazil, and they have carried out attacks against police, officials and civilians.
In Haiti, Live Together and Great Claws are associated primarily with arms trafficking, kidnapping, killings and extortion.
Viv Ansanm’s attacks beginning in February 2024 helped close Haiti’s main international airport, free prisoners and force then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation.
The coalition controls at least 85% of Port-au-Prince, complicating humanitarian access and forcing aid organizations to navigate gang-controlled areas.
Hernández Pardon Highlights Tension in US Strategy
The administration’s approach has also produced contradictions.
Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández last year after he received a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Prosecutors had accused Hernández during his trial of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the principal organizations targeted by the terrorist designation strategy.
Hernández has since returned to Honduras.
The contrast underscores questions surrounding how Washington applies its expanding campaign against trafficking networks and their alleged political protectors.
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