Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act

House Bill

H.R. 885

119th Congress

Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 4, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Chip Roy

Representative

Republican

TX-21

Cosponsors

20

Quick Stats

Policy Area

International Affairs

Summary

This bill mandates terrorist designation for four major Mexican drug cartels: Gulf Cartel, Cartel Del Noreste, Cartel de Sinaloa, and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The State Department must report on these and other cartels, designating any meeting terrorist criteria. Designation enables Treasury to block cartel financial transactions. The bill does not expand asylum eligibility.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill mandates terrorist designation for four major Mexican drug cartels: Gulf Cartel, Cartel Del Noreste, Cartel de Sinaloa, and Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The State Department must report on these and other cartels, designating any meeting terrorist criteria. Designation enables Treasury to block cartel financial transactions. The bill does not expand asylum eligibility.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation ActThis bill directs the Department of State to designate four specified drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require U.S. financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.)The four specified cartels in the bill are the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.The bill also requires the State Department to submit a detailed report on those four cartels and any other cartels it may identify. Based on this report, the State Department must designate as a foreign terrorist organization any such identified cartel (or faction thereof) that meets certain criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization.The bill specifies that it may not be construed to expand eligibility for asylum.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Designates four Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
Gulf Cartel, Cartel Del Noreste, Sinaloa, CJNG
Enables blocking of cartel financial transactions
State Department must report on additional cartels
Does not expand asylum eligibility
Applies counter-terrorism tools to drug trafficking

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Terrorist designation would give U.S. agencies powerful tools against cartels, including blocking financial transactions and material support prosecutions. However, it could complicate diplomatic relations with Mexico and may not significantly impact cartel operations that rely on cash and informal finance. The explicit asylum exclusion addresses concerns that fleeing cartel violence could become grounds for asylum claims. The designation represents treating drug trafficking as a national security threat rather than purely criminal matter.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

International Affairs

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

885, 119th Congress (2025). "Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-885