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

The designation makes it a crime to support the street gang.

A leader of the Barrio 18 gang stands handcuffed facing a wall after his arrest in San Salvador, El Salvador, on July 28, 2015. Salvador Melendez/AP Photo

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.