Five Mexican cartel members tied to U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are now in American custody, exposing the deadly reality that border security failures have allowed terrorist-linked criminals to operate freely while threatening American communities.
Major Cartel Leaders Face Terrorism Charges
ICE announced that five Mexican fugitives transferred to U.S. custody are central targets in ongoing investigations into cells of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación and Sinaloa Cartel, both designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States. Maria Del Carmen Navarro Sanchez, Luis Carlos Davalos Lopez, and Gustavo Castro-Medina face federal charges for providing material support to terrorist organizations alongside narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and human smuggling.
Humberto Rivera-Rivera, identified as an alleged Sinaloa faction leader in Valle de Juarez, faces narcotics trafficking charges. Roberto Gonzalez-Hernandez, a purported high-ranking Los Cabrera Cartel member, confronts charges of narcotics conspiracy, smuggling, and firearms violations.
ICE says 5 Mexican fugitives sent to US are targets of probes into foreign terrorist organizations https://t.co/leLsvb2XZ4
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) February 11, 2026
Historic Cross-Border Law Enforcement Operation
Mexico expelled 37 fugitives to the United States, representing the largest single transfer under Mexico’s National Security Law and only the third deployment of this authority since its initial use in 2025. The law allows Mexico to expel high-threat fugitives wanted in the U.S. without lengthy extradition proceedings, streamlining the removal of dangerous criminals.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations El Paso received custody of these individuals, with acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho emphasizing the significance of international cooperation. This operation builds on bilateral efforts like the Mérida Initiative, launched in 2008, which has intensified under recent administrations focused on dismantling cartel networks now classified as foreign terrorist organizations.
Cartel Evolution from Criminal Gangs to Terrorist Threats
The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación emerged around 2010 as a violent splinter from the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” and gained notoriety for extreme brutality. The Sinaloa Cartel, founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was extradited to the U.S. in 2017, has long dominated narcotics trafficking across the Western Hemisphere. U.S. authorities designated both cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, with CJNG receiving this classification in February 2025, reflecting their transformation from criminal enterprises into hybrid criminal-terrorist entities. These organizations now engage in arms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, human smuggling, and narcotics distribution, controlling smuggling routes in critical border areas like Valle de Juarez and directly threatening American national security.
The Mexican drug cartels are now considered terrorists by the US Government. Special Forces are now in play to fuck them up!
Remember these are ppl that child and sex traffic along with drugs. pic.twitter.com/Ry47jJnZVp
— Critically Thinking & Drinking 🧐 🥃🧉🍸🍹🤪 (@TheCriticalDri1) January 21, 2025
Border Communities Gain Protection from Terrorist Networks
The successful transfer disrupts specific CJNG and Sinaloa cells operating near the U.S.-Mexico border, providing immediate safety improvements for American communities in El Paso and surrounding areas that have suffered under cartel violence and trafficking operations. The operation interrupts narcotics and cash flows worth millions of dollars while removing key operatives from networks that facilitate human smuggling and weapons trafficking.
Long-term implications include establishing precedent for larger expulsions under Mexico’s National Security Law, potentially accelerating the dismantlement of foreign terrorist organization-designated cartels. This enforcement action vindicates American voters who demanded secure borders and accountability for transnational criminal organizations, demonstrating what competent leadership achieves when national security takes priority over open-border policies that endangered communities for years.
The Department of Justice maintains prosecutorial oversight for these cases as HSI investigations continue. ICE’s public disclosure identifies these fugitives as direct threats to American security, validating concerns about cartel infiltration that prior administrations downplayed or ignored. The operation proves that decisive action against terrorist-designated organizations protects American families and restores the rule of law at our southern border, principles conservative Americans have championed despite resistance from those who prioritized political correctness over public safety.