The executive order designates certain international cartels and organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), citing them as a national-security threat beyond traditional organized crime. The Cartels have been accused of engaging in a campaign of violence, terror, rape, and brute force to control the flow of illicit drugs across the southern border of the United States, threatening the safety of American people and the security of the nation.
The order also targets other transnational organizations, such as Tren de Aragua (TdA) and La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), which pose similar threats to the United States. The national emergency declared by President Trump allows for the implementation of measures to deal with these threats, including the elimination of their presence in the United States and the protection of American people and territorial integrity.