Home Americas US Designates Barrio 18 as Foreign Terrorist Organization, Joining Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Others

US Designates Barrio 18 as Foreign Terrorist Organization, Joining Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Others

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US Designates Barrio 18 as Foreign Terrorist Organization, Joining Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Others
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US Designates Barrio 18 as Foreign Terrorist Organization, Joining Tren de Aragua, MS-13, Others

Prison officers guarding gang members in a cell at maximum security penitentiary CECOT (Center for the Compulsory Housing of Terrorism) in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador, on April 4, 2025. Alex Peña/Getty Images

The U.S. State Department has designated the Barrio 18 street gang as a foreign terrorist organization, expanding Washington’s campaign against transnational gangs and cartels.

“Today, the Department of State is designating Barrio 18 as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT),” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Sept. 23 statement.

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