{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.moreno.senate.gov/press-releases/moreno-calls-for-colombian-criminal-groups-to-be-designated-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations", "Moreno Calls for Colombian Criminal Groups to be Designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "OH", "Bernie Moreno", "M001242", "www.moreno.senate.gov", "moreno", "https://www.moreno.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for three Colombian criminal organizations to be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) due to their record of assassinations, violent attacks, intimidation campaigns, narco-trafficking, and armed confrontations.\n\n\u201cMost critically, these groups help kill Americans. Their drug trafficking operations are directly responsible for the flow of deadly narcotics into our communities, including those in Ohio,\u201d wrote Senator Moreno. \u201cFurthermore, these gangs only seek to strengthen their affiliations with transnational criminal and terrorist networks, including Mexican cartels, which pose an ever-escalating threat to our homeland security.\u201d\n\nRead the letter HERE or below.\n\nOctober 30, 2025\n\nThe Honorable Marco Rubio\n\nThe Secretary of State\n\n2201 C St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20520\n\nDear Secretary Rubio,\n\nI write to respectfully request that the Department of State consider designating the following Colombian criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs):\n\nEstado Mayor de Bloques y Frentes (EMBF), led by Alexander D\u00edaz, alias Calarc\u00e1\n\nAutodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC), led by Jobanis de Jes\u00fas Villadiego, alias Chiquito Malo\n\nAutodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN or Pachencas), led by Hern\u00e1n Giraldo, alias El Patr\u00f3n\n\nEMBF, AGC, and ACSN are foreign organizations that engage in terrorist activities and retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activities, which threatens the security of the United States and its citizens.\n\nTheir record of violence is clear: assassinations, violent attacks, intimidation campaigns, narco-trafficking, and armed confrontations\u2014all acts that fall squarely within the legal definition of terrorism under U.S. law. Such operations demonstrate a deliberate use of violence to achieve political and criminal objectives.\n\nMost critically, these groups help kill Americans. Their drug trafficking operations are directly responsible for the flow of deadly narcotics into our communities, including those in Ohio. Furthermore, these gangs only seek to strengthen their affiliations with transnational criminal and terrorist networks, including Mexican cartels, which pose an ever-escalating threat to our homeland security.\n\nFor these reasons, these organizations clearly meet the legal standard for designation. Taking this step will equip American authorities with stronger tools to disrupt these groups\u2019 financial and logistical networks, help bring members and those who support them to justice and protect the American people from these terrorist organizations. I hope you will help me send a clear message to Colombia and the region\u2014 that the United States will act decisively against terrorism and organized violence that impacts the safety of American citizens.\n\nThank you for your leadership on this important matter.\n\nSincerely,\n\nBERNIE MORENO\n\nUnited States Senator\n\ncc: The Honorable Pamela Bondi, U.S. Attorney General\n\nThe Honorable Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.moreno.senate.gov/press-releases/moreno-calls-for-colombian-criminal-groups-to-be-designated-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8184590842574835, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}