Terrorist Designations of the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras

PRESS STATEMENT

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE

JULY 16, 2026

Today, the U.S. Department of State is designating the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). 

The Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras are violent narco-terrorist cartels that have committed numerous attacks against Americans, Mexican security forces, and civilians, including the 2019 massacre in Sonora of nine U.S. citizens – three adults and six children – killed by hitmen from the Juárez Cartel’s dominant faction La Línea.

The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation by keeping poison off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narco-terrorists.  Today’s action taken by the State Department further demonstrates that the Trump Administration continues to deliver on its promises to the American people to dismantle narco-terrorist cartels, make American communities safer, and secure the border.

Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to carry out attacks.  As a result of actions taken today, all property and interests in property of those designated today that are in the United States or that are in possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.  Moreover, designations can assist law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.

Today’s actions are taken pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and Executive Order 13224. Foreign Terrorist Organization designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register.  

Normally, these State Department updates appear within a few hours of the OFAC action. So, I thought this was a State Department jumping the gun.

well, no… Wednesday’s OFAC designations updated those two organizations with the FTO and SDGT tags, but didn’t have a PR about that part of the action… and the title of the Recent Actions piece didn’t event mention that there were designation updates.

And the timing… State Department PR today at 12:22 PM, OFAC action 11:32 AM on Wednesday…