Rubio says US is designating 2 more gangs as foreign terrorist groups

Rubio says US is designating 2 more gangs as foreign terrorist groups

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the United States is designating two Ecuadorian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations in the Trump administration’s latest move against cartels.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, arrives to meet with Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa at the presidential palace in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Sept.. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, pool)

The announcement came as Rubio traveled to Ecuador to meet with its leaders in a trip to Latin America this week that has been overshadowed by a U.S. military strike against a similarly designated gang, Tren de Aragua, that has raised concerns in the region about whether the Trump administration will step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

The two new designees, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, are Ecuadorian gangs blamed for much of the violence that began since the COVID-19 pandemic. The designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for the U.S. government to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups.