Trump administration formally designates Venezuela’s Maduro as member of a foreign terrorist organization

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on November 21, 2025. Jesus Vargas/Getty Images

The Trump administration could have expanded authority to take action in Venezuela starting Monday, as the US designates Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization.

The designation of “Cartel de los Soles,” a phrase that experts say is more a description of allegedly corrupt government officials than an organized crime group, as a foreign terrorist organization will authorize President Donald Trump to impose fresh sanctions targeting Maduro’s assets and infrastructure. It doesn’t, however, explicitly authorize the use of lethal force, according to legal experts.

Still, administration officials have been making the case that