releases: https://www.moreno.senate.gov/press-releases/moreno-calls-for-colombian-criminal-groups-to-be-designated-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| 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 – 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. “Most 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,” wrote Senator Moreno. “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.” Read the letter HERE or below. October 30, 2025 The Honorable Marco Rubio The Secretary of State 2201 C St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20520 Dear Secretary Rubio, I write to respectfully request that the Department of State consider designating the following Colombian criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs): Estado Mayor de Bloques y Frentes (EMBF), led by Alexander Díaz, alias Calarcá Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia (AGC), led by Jobanis de Jesús Villadiego, alias Chiquito Malo Autodefensas Conquistadoras de la Sierra Nevada (ACSN or Pachencas), led by Hernán Giraldo, alias El Patrón EMBF, 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. Their record of violence is clear: assassinations, violent attacks, intimidation campaigns, narco-trafficking, and armed confrontations—all 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. Most 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. For 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’ 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— that the United States will act decisively against terrorism and organized violence that impacts the safety of American citizens. Thank you for your leadership on this important matter. Sincerely, BERNIE MORENO United States Senator cc: The Honorable Pamela Bondi, U.S. Attorney General The Honorable Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T19:32:54Z |