The Emerging U.S. Campaign Against Organized Crime

President Trump’s administration has framed the fight against drug trafficking as justification for militarized, punitive actions domestically and internationally.

Domestically, it has exaggerated the danger posed by groups like Tren de Aragua, enabling large‑scale militarized raids aimed at locating and deporting undocumented migrants.

Abroad, the administration added 18 Latin American and Caribbean criminal groups to the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization list, facilitating more aggressive measures such as striking alleged drug vessels in international waters—a campaign that has resulted in over 200 deaths since September 2025. Nevertheless, U.S. cocaine seizures remain unchanged from the previous year, and traffickers continue to operate unhindered, devising new routes to reach consumer markets.

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