February 24, 2025
Meet the Cartels
By Wendi Strauch Mahoney
Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated eight cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) in a February 6 Department of State declaration. His action was responsive to President Trump’s executive order on January 20, which set the framework for designating cartels and other organizations as FTOs. The January 20 E.O. is one of several orders Trump has signed to address cartel activity and stem the flow of illegal aliens and illicit drugs at the southern border.
The cartels named in Rubio’s declaration are Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha, Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. These are some of the most brutal organizations operating in the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. All have intricate international networks that participate in the lucrative businesses of extortion, drug- and human-smuggling, organ-harvesting, money-laundering, and human-trafficking.
Rubio referenced section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as the basis for the designation. Per the INA, the secretary is authorized to designate as an FTO if the secretary finds that
the organization is a foreign organization.
the organization engages in terrorist activity.
the terrorist activity threatens the security of Americans or the United States.
more
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/02/meet_the_cartels.html
