Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the Biden-era policy of appeasing Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro is officially over.
Rubio revealed that the United States will designate the Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
Cartel de los Soles is a criminal network tied directly to Venezuela’s ruling elite.
Rubio confirmed the escalation in a formal statement, marking one of the Trump administration’s strongest moves yet against the socialist regime in Caracas.
The designation, set to take effect November 24, directly targets a cartel the State Department says is run by Maduro and the top brass of his authoritarian government.
According to the department’s statement:
“Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary.”
The statement added bluntly: “Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government.”
Washington is now publicly linking the organization to hemispheric terror networks, noting:
“The Cartel de los Soles, in coordination with other terrorist organizations including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, is responsible for terrorist violence across our hemisphere and for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”
The move is being executed under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
It empowers the State Department to designate foreign entities engaged in terrorism.
The classification becomes official once published in the Federal Register.
The Treasury Department had previously sanctioned the cartel under Executive Order 13224, but the FTO label dramatically increases the legal and military options available to U.S. officials.
Rubio reaffirmed the administration’s position in an accompanying X post:
“@StateDept intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
