Marco Rubio, Secretary of State<\/p>\n
Today, the State Department is fulfilling one of President Trump\u2019s first promises since he took office. \u00a0I\u2019m pleased to announce the Department\u2019s designation of eight organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).<\/p>\n
As President Trump\u00a0said in Executive Order 14157, cartels and other transnational organizations \u201cthreaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The State Department announces the designation of Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13),\u00a0C\u00e1rtel de Sinaloa, C\u00e1rtel de Jalisco Nueva Generaci\u00f3n, C\u00e1rtel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, C\u00e1rtel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel), and C\u00e1rteles Unidos as FTOs and SDGTs.<\/p>\n
The intent of designating these cartels and transnational organizations as terrorists is to protect our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere.\u00a0 That means stopping the campaigns of violence and terror by these vicious groups both in the United States and internationally. \u00a0These designations provide law enforcement additional tools to stop these groups.<\/p>\n
Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities.\u00a0 Today\u2019s actions taken by the State Department demonstrate the Trump Administration\u2019s commitment to protecting our national security interests and dismantling these dangerous organizations.<\/p>\n