The Trump administration expanded its use of terrorism authorities against Mexican criminal organizations on Thursday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing that the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras have been designated as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The move adds two more Mexican groups to the growing list of cartels formally labeled as terrorist organizations by the United States.
Rubio announced the decision in a post on X, writing: "Today, I designated two additional Mexican cartels, the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Under President Trump's leadership, we will never stop fighting against violent narco-terrorists from flooding our nation with deadly drugs."
Today, I designated two additional Mexican cartels, the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will never stop fighting against violent narco-terrorists from flooding our…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 16, 2026
The designations officially took effect following publication in the Federal Register after Rubio determined that both organizations met the legal requirements under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The State Department concluded that the groups engage in terrorist activity or retain the capability and intent to do so, and that their actions threaten U.S. national security, foreign policy interests or the safety of American citizens.
The Juárez Cartel, one of Mexico's oldest criminal organizations, operates primarily in the border city of Ciudad Juárez across from El Paso, Texas. Although significantly weakened from its peak during the country's cartel wars, the organization remains active in drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion and violent territorial disputes. U.S. authorities have also linked members of the cartel to attacks that have affected American citizens near the border.
Los Viagras emerged in the western Mexican state of Michoacán after originally presenting themselves as a self-defense militia before evolving into a powerful criminal organization. The group has been accused of manufacturing and trafficking synthetic drugs, extorting businesses and agricultural producers, kidnapping victims and engaging in violent clashes with rival cartels and Mexican security forces. Authorities say the organization has maintained shifting alliances with larger trafficking networks operating throughout western Mexico.
The latest action builds on President Donald Trump's broader strategy of treating major transnational criminal organizations as terrorist entities. Earlier rounds of designations included the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Gulf Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana and the United Cartels, as well as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and El Salvador's MS-13. With Thursday's announcement, eight Mexican cartels now carry the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation.
The FTO designation carries significant legal consequences. It becomes a federal crime for individuals or entities subject to U.S. jurisdiction to knowingly provide material support to the designated organizations. The SDGT designation also allows the Treasury Department to freeze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits American individuals and companies from conducting transactions with the sanctioned groups. Financial institutions that facilitate transactions on their behalf can also face sanctions.
The decision is expected to intensify diplomatic tensions with Mexico, where officials have previously expressed concern that expanding terrorism authorities could blur the line between combating organized crime and conducting counterterrorism operations. The designations also come as the Trump administration continues pressing Mexico to take stronger action against fentanyl trafficking and cross-border criminal organizations.
While the designation does not automatically authorize military action, it provides U.S. authorities with broader investigative, financial and prosecutorial tools to target the organizations and anyone who assists them. Administration officials argue the measure is intended to disrupt the cartels' financial networks, limit their international operations and strengthen cooperation with law enforcement agencies pursuing organized crime across the hemisphere
