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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.
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
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
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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.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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