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).
“Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”
President Donald Trump underscored the administration’s stance Sunday night, telling reporters the U.S. is committed to shutting down the flow of narcotics into the country.
“We’re stopping drug dealers and drugs from coming into our country,” Trump said.
He added that Rubio was carrying out his directive:
“And I actually told Marco and some of the people our secretary of state is doing a great job, by the way. I said, ‘Go to Congress and let them know we’re not letting drugs come through Mexico. We’re not letting them come through Venezuela.'”
Trump also acknowledged that the new designation opens the door to stronger action against Maduro’s assets and infrastructure.
Asked whether the FTO label would allow the U.S. to target those networks, Trump responded, “It allows us to do that.”
He confirmed that discussions with the Venezuelan regime were possible, explaining:
“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out.
“They would like to talk.”
However, Trump left the outcome open-ended, saying, “We’ll see what happens.”
The designation marks a major shift in the U.S. posture toward the Maduro regime.
It could reshape Washington’s ability to strike at the core of Venezuela’s state-backed criminal networks.
READ MORE Trump Confirms Venezuelan President Maduro’s ‘Days Are Numbered’
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