Argentina has designated the Mexico-based criminal organization Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as a “terrorist organization,” a designation the United States under President Donald Trump has followed.
The announcement came from the office of Argentina’s President Javier Millei, a prominent right-wing figure in Latin America who has cultivated close ties with the United States.
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The statement said Thursday’s decision was “based on official reports confirming cross-border illegal activities and links to other terrorist organizations.”
The firm also suggested that the label aims to strengthen partnerships with countries such as the United States.
“We will work closely with countries that have already designated the Jalisco Cartel as a terrorist organization and strengthen international cooperation on security and justice issues,” the statement said.
So far, only the United States and Canada have done so. Argentina is believed to be the first Latin American country to adopt such a label.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was one of the first groups of eight criminal networks designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the Trump administration in February 2025, within weeks of the U.S. president returning to office. Canada made a similar designation in the same month.
The move to reclassify criminal groups as “terrorist” organizations comes as part of a major shift in security policy across the Western Hemisphere, largely driven by President Trump’s hardline policies.
In recent decades, the word “terrorist” has primarily been a label applied to groups that use violence as a political tool to destabilize governments or shape public opinion. The United States used the term for groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the early 2000s after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
But the Trump administration has expanded its use of the term, in part to justify deadly military action against criminal organizations in Latin America.
President Trump has so far authorized 47 airstrikes against ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing about 163 people.
It also attacked a port in Venezuela in late December, and launched a new military operation in the country on January 3, culminating in the abduction and imprisonment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In both cases, military operations were carried out with the premise of disrupting cross-border drug smuggling activities. However, legal experts have condemned the operation as extrajudicial killings and a violation of regional sovereignty.
But President Trump, in line with his policy against cartels, urged Latin American leaders to take more aggressive action against criminal networks.
In early March, he hosted a gathering of regional right-wing leaders in South Florida that he dubbed the “American Shield” summit.
During his speech, President Trump encouraged the audience to sideline law enforcement in favor of military action against cartels, comparing cartels to a “cancer.”
“The only way to defeat these enemies is to unleash the power of our military,” President Trump said at the time. “We have to use the military.”
Milley attended the summit and has reflected on Trump’s policies in the past. Like Trump, for example, Milley recently withdrew his country from the World Health Organization.
Meanwhile, President Trump has supported Milley in his efforts to increase imports of Argentine beef into the United States. He also proposed a $20 billion currency swap for Argentina aimed at increasing the value of the local peso.
However, that economic policy came within weeks of Argentina’s midterm elections, and President Trump had tied the possibility of continued economic aid to Argentina to the outcome of the campaign.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of Mexico’s most prominent criminal organizations, and law enforcement officials estimate it has connections in other countries, including Guatemala, Colombia, and the United States.
The group, which emerged from a division within the Milenio cartel in 2010, was founded by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” who was recently killed in a Mexican military operation on February 22.
Milley’s office noted in a statement Thursday that the “terrorist” designation puts the cartel in the same category as Hamas and Iran’s Quds Force.
“I remain unwavering in my belief that we recognize terrorists for who they are,” Milley said in a statement.
