Here are the 14 groups and networks Trump has designated as terrorist organizations:

Antifa

Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk by a gunman with terms and slogans associated with antifa, short for Anti-Fascist Action, Trump announced that he would be designating the network a terrorist organization.

“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practice,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He had hinted at bringing RICO charges against figures associated with the network.

The president had previously stated his intentions to declare antifa a terrorist organization in 2020 after antifa cells across the country escalated their campaign of terror against police and conservatives. However, the network’s secret nature made it difficult to act against.

ANTIFA INC: HOW AN IDEOLOGY BECAME AN ORGANIZED CRIMINAL NETWORK

Antifa is a radical, far-left militant network that endorses terror tactics to combat to combat anything it decides is fascist, which often translate to anything that does not align with its own Marxist and post-Marxist agenda. Though antifa and its supporters attempt to deflect attention and investigation by claiming it’s simply an ideology, so it can’t be a group, multiple investigations into local chapters have found a rigid command-and-control structure, a structured onboarding and training process, strict ideological training courses, and other hallmarks of an organization.

Most publicly known information about the secretive extremist network comes from research by Project Veritas, most notably a 2020 undercover operation in which a journalist infiltrated RCA and documented its operations, as well as investigative journalist Andy Ngo and Dr. Eoin Lenihan.

The oldest U.S. antifa chapter, Rose City Antifa, was founded in Portland in 2007. It belongs to the national Torch Network, along with 11 other nationwide chapters, including Antifa Sacramento, Rocky Mountain Antifa, Pacific Northwest Antifascist Workers Collective, and Atlanta Antifascists.

The Minneapolis Police Department deemed Torch Network the “most radical” of Antifa cohorts, “responsible for accreditation and recognition of national Antifa chapters.”

Antifa became best known after Trump took office for the first time, staging violent riots in Washington, D.C. on his inauguration day, in Berkeley and Charlottesville in 2017, and across the country during the George Floyd riots of 2020.

Designating antifa a terrorist organization is difficult, as the U.S. doesn’t have a domestic mechanism akin to the State Department’s ability to designate foreign groups Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Individual states can enact anti-terrorism laws, but Blue states are unlikely to pass laws designating antifa a terrorist organization.

Lenihan encouraged the Trump administration to use his data-driven social network analysis, or employ their own, to prove that Antifa isn’t an idea, but rather “a violent extremist organization that individuals self-select into with the understanding that acts of violence, intimidation and terrorism are, to varying degrees, expected to be carried out against individuals and the state.”

“By identifying the core network of Antifa cells, their relations to one another and the individuals who provide cover for them in the media and in academia, the administration can provide a robust dataset to underpin their terror designation. They can further pinpoint the most dangerous actors within the network, isolate them and disrupt the group’s ability to coordinate real-world violence,” Lenihan told the Washington Examiner.

MS-13

Known for its unmatched brutality among cartels, MS-13 was created by former Salvadoran commandos trained by the U.S. during the Salvadoran government’s struggle against communist insurgents. Originating in Los Angeles, the gang moved its center of operations back to its home country in the 1990s after the end of the Salvadoran Civil War. It quickly transformed El Salvador into the murder capital of the world, effectively running the country in a reign of terror.

MS-13 became a major target of Trump during his first term, constantly brought up during campaign rallies as an example of the barbarism that was seeping through the border.

The gang has declined in prominence from its height of infamy during the late 2010s, due mostly to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s unparalleled gang crackdown. He used the military to round up tens of thousands of alleged gangsters, easily distinguished by their unique tattoos, and put them in maximum security prisons. While effectively ceasing to exist in El Salvador, the gang still has a presence in the U.S. and across Latin America.

Trump designated the group as an FTO on Feb. 19. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids under Trump have frequently targeted the group, arresting members across the country.

Tren de Aragua

Tren de Aragua took MS-13’s place during Trump’s second term as his most focused-on gang. Beginning in a Venezuelan prison, it soon became the largest gang in crime-ridden Venezuela, exporting operations to the U.S.

The group revolutionized crime in Venezuela and across Latin America, in the words of author Ronna Risquez, running the country from prisons and extending its reach across the Western Hemisphere. In several areas, the gang has taken complete control, usurping government authority.

One unique feature of the group is its origins as a prison gang — the entire gang was run out of the Tocoron prison, which, prior to its storming by the Venezuelan army in 2023, had been turned into a luxury palace replete with swimming pools, a baseball field, and a zoo. Before the raids, more than half of the country’s prisons were controlled by gangs, the New York Times reported.

The leader of Tren de Aragua, Héctor “El Niño” Guerrero Flores, escaped the prison before the storming and is still on the loose. The Department of State and the Department of Justice are offering up to $5 million for information regarding his whereabouts. He is believed to reside somewhere in Colombia.

Among the litany of crimes the group is known for are human trafficking, sex trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, drug dealing, murder, money laundering, contract killings, smuggling, and other types of theft.

The group took advantage of the border crisis under the Biden administration, using the chaos to send members into the U.S. It gained headlines after two of its reported members, illegal immigrants, allegedly murdered Georgia nursing student Laken Riley while on a jog in February 2024. It garnered further attention when it took over an apartment block in Aurora, Colorado.

Part of the reason for Tren de Aragua’s expansion into the U.S. is the deteriorating conditions in Venezuela. The collapse of the economy has so impoverished the country that the gangs are forced to search for opportunities elsewhere, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory.

Tren de Aragua was designated as an FTO on Feb. 19. Trump has aggressively gone after the gang, bombing one of their alleged drug boats earlier this month, killing everyone on board.

VENEZUELA BOAT STRIKES BRING TRUMP WAR POWERS BACK UNDER SENATE SCRUTINY

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump said in a Truth Social post, along with a video showing the strike.

The Trump administration has alleged that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is cooperating with the gangs, putting a $50 million bounty on his head.

Six Mexican cartels

The same day he designated MS-13 and Tren de Aragua FTOs, Trump also gave the designation to six Mexican drug cartels: 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).

The Sinaloa cartel is the most well-known of these, remaining the largest Mexican cartel, even after the arrest of former leader “El Chapo.”

The cartels wield enough power to challenge the Mexican state directly, defeating the Mexican Army in direct battle. CJNG has been known to spearhead the newest military tactics, recently adopting the use of drones against government forces and other opponents.

The cartels are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands across Mexico. Trump’s FTO designation of the cartels has opened the prospect of a direct U.S. military intervention or drone strikes on their facilities, a possibility Mexico City is hoping to avoid.

The Houthis

What originally began as a pacifist movement has evolved into one of the most potent militias on Earth, boasting hundreds of thousands of fighters, high-tech missiles and drones, and controlling one of the most strategically valuable regions on the planet. So far, they have staved off attacks from dozens of nations, including neighboring Saudi Arabia and a U.S.-led coalition.

Following one of the bloodiest civil wars of the 21st century, which the Houthis won against a Saudi-led coalition, the group shot to global prominence as the single most effective ally of the Palestinian cause. They’ve been launching attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since Oct. 7, 2023, in support of its allies in Gaza.

A U.S.-led effort to stop the attacks in 2023-2024 was unsuccessful. The Trump administration undertook a major bombing campaign against the group earlier this year, but that also failed to neutralize their threat to shipping. Israel has been slightly more successful, retaliating against drone and missile strikes with a bombing campaign of its own. Earlier this month, it assassinated the Houthi Prime Minister and much of his cabinet, the biggest blow to the militant group so far.

Trump designated the Houthis an FTO during his first term, but the designation was removed by President Joe Biden. Trump reinstated the designation after he retook office.

THE HOUTHIS ARE DOWN BUT FAR FROM OUT

Four Iraq-based Iranian-backed militias

Combating Iranian influence has been one of Trump’s main foreign policy goals during both his administrations. He continued this on Wednesday, designating four Iraqi militias as FTOs: Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Kata’ib al-Imam.

“The Department previously designated all four of these groups as Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted in a statement. “As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran continues to provide support that enables these militias to plan, facilitate, or directly carry out attacks across Iraq. Iran-aligned militia groups have conducted attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and bases hosting U.S. and Coalition forces, typically using front names or proxy groups to obfuscate their involvement.”

The groups are all part of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, whose main adversaries are the U.S. and Israel. The four are also part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a network of Shiite militias mobilized to combat ISIS after the near collapse of the Iraqi Army. The PMF is officially integrated into Baghdad’s security structure, making its FTO designation complicated for a government trying to balance U.S. and Iranian influence.