The Trump administration added its 21st Latin American group to the U.S. foreign terrorist organization list, designating an Ecuadorian gang and marking an unprecedented expansion of a label previously reserved for groups like ISIS and al Qaeda.

Ecuador Gang Gets Terror Label

The State Department designated Los Tiguerones as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist on Wednesday. The Ecuador-based gang operates narcotrafficking networks and has launched multiple attacks targeting civilians, law enforcement officers, and journalists. The group gained international attention after orchestrating a live takeover of an Ecuadorian television station in 2024, broadcasting their violent message to viewers in real time.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation during his diplomatic tour through South America, visiting Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to coordinate regional drug trafficking enforcement. Rubio stated the administration will continue using all available tools to keep drugs off American streets and disrupt revenue streams funding violent narcoterrorists. The designation denies these groups access to the U.S. financial system and assists law enforcement actions by other agencies and foreign governments.

Strategy Shifts Terror Definition

The administration began this controversial strategy in February 2025, fundamentally changing how America designates terrorist organizations. Traditional terror groups pursue political goals through violence, but the newly listed Latin American organizations primarily operate as financially motivated criminal enterprises. The expanded definition served as justification for the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this year and dozens of deadly attacks on boats allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking.

Mexico leads all nations with eight groups on the designated terrorist list, putting intense pressure on the Mexican government to prevent Trump from taking unilateral military action against cartels operating within Mexican borders. The strategy has prompted Guatemala and Argentina to take similar actions against criminal groups in their territories, while Ecuador launched joint operations on its own soil.

Questions About Consistency

The aggressive approach has faced scrutiny over apparent contradictions in enforcement. Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who received a 45-year prison sentence for drug trafficking and faced accusations during his trial of protecting the Sinaloa Cartel. Hernandez has since returned to Honduras, raising questions about the administration’s selective application of its hardline drug war policies. Critics point to the disconnect between expanding terrorist designations for criminal organizations while pardoning convicted high-level drug traffickers with documented cartel connections.