WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal agents have arrested more than 2,700 individuals tied to transnational criminal organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday.
Among those arrested are members of the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), which the Trump administration officially designated as an FTO in February.
The FTOs are:
- Tren de Aragua (also known as Aragua Train);
- Mara Salvatrucha (also known as MS-13);
- Cartel de Sinaloa (also known as Sinaloa Cartel, Mexican Federation, Guadalajara Cartel);
- Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (also known as New Generation Cartel of Jalisco, CJNG, Jalisco New Generation Cartel);
- Carteles Unidos (also known as United Cartels, Tepalcatepec Cartel, Cartel de Tepalcatepec, The Grandfather Cartel, Cartel del Abuelo, Cartel de Los Reyes);
- Cartel del Noreste (also known as CDN, Northeast Cartel, Los Zetas);
- Cartel del Golfo (also known as CDG, Gulf Cartel, Osiel Cardenas-Guillen Organization); and
- La Nueva Familia Michoacana (also known as LNFM).
Bondi’s remarks followed a major U.S. Supreme Court decision on Friday that curtails the ability of district judges to impose nationwide injunctions. The 6-3 ruling marks a significant victory for the Trump administration, which has faced legal pushback from lower courts over its immigration and national security policies.
According to Bondi, just five of the nation’s 94 federal judicial districts issued 35 of the 40 nationwide injunctions against Trump administration policies since he took office. The court’s ruling is expected to affect dozens of ongoing cases, including those tied to immigration enforcement.
Efforts to crack down on FTO-linked crime have intensified under Trump’s leadership. In January, Trump signed an executive order directing the State Department to formally designate transnational criminal organizations as FTOs. A month later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled eight major groups as FTOs, including Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, and others.
In May, two Haitian gangs, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, were also designated as FTOs and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
The crackdown comes amid a worsening border crisis, which administration officials blame on lax policies under President Biden. Violent TdA-linked crime has reportedly spread to at least 22 U.S. states.
Bondi also noted that federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI, have been instrumental in making arrests. The administration has also ramped up efforts to target violent criminals from countries like China and Iran, considered foreign concerns or state sponsors of terrorism.
In his first 100 days, Trump’s National Counterterrorism Center identified nearly 1,200 suspected terrorists illegally present in the U.S., underscoring what officials describe as the need for aggressive enforcement.
