Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists

This executive order designates a process to treat certain international cartels and other transnational organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) or as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). It relies on existing law—specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for FTO designation and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) along with EO 13224 for SDGT designation—to give the United States a framework to target these groups beyond traditional organized crime. The order also declares a national emergency under IEEPA and envisions using the Alien Enemies Act if there is an invasion or predatory incursion against U.S. territory. In practical terms, the designation would empower the government to block financial transactions, freeze assets, restrict conduct with designated groups, and potentially remove or restrict individuals connected to these organizations. The policy aims to eliminate these groups’ presence in the United States and to disrupt their cross-border command-and-control networks, which the order characterizes as a grave national security threat. The order identifies international cartels (notably described as controlling much illegal activity across the U.S.–Mexico border) and other violent transnational groups such as Tren de Aragua (TdA) and MS-13 as threats. It establishes a 14-day timeline for the relevant federal departments to evaluate and recommend designations and to prepare for possible emergency actions. The order emphasizes implementation consistent with law and appropriations and notes that, like all executive actions, it does not create new legal rights for individuals. Overall, it expands the executive branch’s tools to designate, isolate, and potentially remove or restrict these groups and their supporters.