The United States has intensified its tactics for fighting organized crime in Latin America, including designating various Latin American criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” in 2025. This designation allows the United States to take more aggressive actions against groups it deems terrorists by arguing that they threaten national security and national interests.
Click on each country to see the list of local criminal groups designated as terrorists by the United States, and on each group to access its criminal profile.
Below are the Latin American criminal groups currently featured on the U.S. list of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.” These groups, many of which are known for their size and violence, are involved in activities including drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, robbery, kidnapping, murder, illegal mining, and other crimes.
**SEE ALSO:** Series: US Anti-Drug Strikes
In September, the United States launched a military deployment in the Caribbean and began carrying out strikes in international waters against vessels allegedly tied to groups on the list.
### Latin American Countries Designate Criminal Groups as Terrorists
Across the region, several Latin American countries have also designated gangs as terrorist organizations.
In 2022, authorities in El Salvador passed a law defining Barrio 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha as “terrorist organizations.” In January 2024, after declaring the existence of an internal armed conflict, Ecuador designated 22 local criminal groups as “terrorist organizations.”
Although the United States was not the first country to label gangs as terrorists, the designations made under President Donald Trump appear to have encouraged other nations to take similar steps. Ecuador and Argentina declared the Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization in August, and Peru followed suit in September.
Argentina then expanded its designation to include the Lobos and the Choneros in October. In November, Guatemala approved a law declaring Barrio 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha as “terrorists.”
Governments have also pushed for action at the multilateral level. In June, the United States, Argentina, and Peru asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to designate Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization.
https://insightcrime.org/news/us-foreign-terrorist-designations-in-latin-america-an-interactive-map/