Steve Cortes, President and Founder of the League of American Workers, said President Trump’s executive order designating cartels as terrorist organizations and his recent military order to go after the cartels show the administration is serious about protecting communities in Illinois.
“President Trump recognizes the severe threat of the cartels to America, to both our national security and our street safety,” Steve Cortes said. “Trump has frequently proven his incredible resolve vs foreign adversaries, from hostile nations to private groups like the cartels, that were so strengthened by Biden’s open border.”
In January 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled, “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” according to the White House. The executive order establishes a formal process for labeling certain international cartels and transnational criminal organizations as either Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). It identifies cartels as a national security threat exceeding typical organized crime, citing their ties to foreign terrorist groups and hostile governments, use of insurgent-style tactics, and infiltration of Western Hemisphere governments.
The order declares a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to address these threats, according to the White House. The policy goal is the complete elimination of these groups’ ability to operate in or threaten the United States.
On August 8, the New York Times reported Trump issued a secret directive authorizing the Pentagon to use U.S. military forces directly against certain Latin American drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations. This represents the most aggressive move yet in his administration’s anti-cartel campaign, shifting from traditional law enforcement approaches to potential military operations on foreign soil and at sea. The move could involve Special Operations troops, naval forces, and intelligence assets.
The directive builds on Trump’s earlier actions labeling multiple cartels, including Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists, according to the New York Times. The administration has doubled the bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accused of leading Cartel de los Soles, and increased surveillance programs, including drone flights over Mexico and expanded U.S. border monitoring. Despite Mexico’s refusal to allow U.S. troops on its soil, the administration appears determined to treat cartels as armed terrorist entities.
Chicago remains a key U.S. hub for Mexico-based cartels, according to the Department of Justice. In February 2025 a federal grand jury charged a high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel member with importing fentanyl and other drugs, and DEA’s 2024 state threat assessment names Sinaloa and CJNG as Illinois’s dominant wholesale suppliers.
Steve Cortes is Founder and President of League of American Workers and senior political advisor to CatholicVote. He is a former senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, and a commentator for Fox News and CNN. Cortes regularly releases documentaries and columns at cortesinvestigates.com.
