U.S. designates 2 more Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, including one on Texas border

Key Points:

• The U.S. government has designated the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as foreign terrorist organizations, adding them to six other Mexican cartels previously labeled as such, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.
• This designation allows U.S. authorities to take more aggressive actions against these groups and their associates, continuing a policy initiated in February 2025 under President Trump to combat Latin American cartels.
• The Juárez Cartel, operating near the Texas border, is one of Mexico's oldest drug trafficking organizations and has been linked to violent crimes, including the 2019 killing of nine American women and children.
• Los Viagras, based in Michoacán, has grown from local conflicts and is involved in extortion and synthetic drug production, with its leader Nicolás Sierra Santana facing a U.S. indictment and a $5 million reward for his capture.
• The designations increase pressure on Mexican authorities, particularly amid recent indictments of officials tied to cartels and ongoing U.S. operations targeting drug trafficking along the border.