US Designates Ecuador's Largest Gangs as Terrorist Groups

SEP 5·UPDATED SEP 5

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Above: Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference in Quito on Sept. 4, 2025. Image copyright: Franklin Jacome/Agencia Press South/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Los Choneros and Los Lobos aren't just drug traffickers, they're narco-terrorists who murder judges, attack journalists and control territory through brutal violence, so it's positive news that they have finally been designated terrorist organizations. They have become a threat to the security and stability of countries around the world, including the U.S., and a crackdown is needed to restore order.

Red State RAND

Government-critical narrative

Labeling profit-driven criminal gangs as terrorists stretches the definition beyond recognition and creates dangerous precedents, ensnaring asylum seekers who pay smugglers, charitable organizations helping migrants, and low-level drug users in terrorism prosecutions. The broad material support laws could criminalize thousands of vulnerable people while providing rhetorical cover for militarizing immigration enforcement.

Brennan Center for Justice Cato