Trump administration designates 8 Latin American criminal groups as ‘foreign terrorist organizations’

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- The U.S. Department of State announced the designation of seven Mexican cartels and a Venezuelan criminal group as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), according to a release.

President Trump signed this Executive Order that cartels and other transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.”

The State Department announces the designation of Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Cártel de Sinaloa, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Cártel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Cártel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel), and Cárteles Unidos as FTOs and SDGTs.

Last night, President Trump recognized the campaign the Mexican federal government has been conducting to stop fentanyl and other drug smuggling in Mexico and the border.

President Trump asked President Sheinbaum if they announced how bad drug consumption is in Mexico and she said yes as millions of Mexican pesos are spent to advertise how bad drug consumption is.

"And I said, wow, that was a great conversation because we’re going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising how bad drugs are so that kids don’t use them," President Trump said.