The United States government is formally designating eight Latin American organized crime groups that also operate in the U.S. to be “foreign terrorist organizations.”

The groups include: Tren de Aragua; Mara Salvatrucha (also known as MS-13); Cartel de Sinaloa; Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación; Carteles Unidos; Cartel del Noreste; Cartel del Golfo; and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. Here's a look at the history of the cartels:

Some analysts have said the terrorism designations could expose asylum seekers who pay cartels to be smuggled to the possibility of prosecution or being barred from the US.