Federal government adds two more Mexican cartels to those designated foreign terrorist organizations

The federal government has added two more Mexican cartels to others that have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations. 

The Juárez Cartel, which operates on the U.S.-Mexico border, and Los Viagras, which operates in the western state of Michoacán, joined six other Mexican criminal organizations that have the designation. 

President Donald Trump extended the terrorist label to Latin American cartels beginning in 2025. The designation allows U.S. authorities to take more aggressive actions against them or anyone seen as aiding the organization, the Associated Press reported. 

Other cartels with the designation include the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as well as gangs operating in Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and El Salvador.