The United States government is designating eight cartel groups that operate in the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.

These organizations are involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other illegal activities.

The Department of State released a statement on the matter, saying, “The United States remains committed to protecting our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere by stopping the campaigns of violence and terror committed by international cartels and transnational organizations.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the designation. Tren de Aragua (TdA), Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Cártel de Sinaloa, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste (CDN), La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM), Cártel de Golfo (CDG), and Cárteles Unidos (CU) have all been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order paved the way for this designation to “Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”.

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, warned the U.S., that Mexico will never tolerate an invasion of its national sovereignty by the United States after Washington designated Mexican cartels as terror organizations. This comes in response to the United States designation.