The United States has designated Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones gang as a terrorist organization, following its attack on a television station during a live broadcast in 2024. The designation was announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Quito, where he met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, a right-wing ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Rubio stated that the gang is linked to narcotics trafficking and has carried out attacks on civilians, law enforcement officers, and journalists. He described the group as terrorists possessing weapons and equipment resembling national armies. The attack on the TC Televisión network in 2024 prompted Noboa to declare a state of “internal armed conflict,” with claims that foreign drug gangs have descended on Ecuador to control coca routes from Colombia and Peru, which are then shipped to the U.S. Live footage from the El Noticiero news program showed members of the gang wielding pistols, shotguns, machine guns, grenades, and sticks of dynamite. These images became a symbol of drug-related violence in the region. The Trump administration has been expanding its campaign against narcotics traffickers, empowering hardline leaders through its “Shield of the Americas” coalition to strengthen security cooperation with right-wing allies in Latin America. During his trip, Rubio plans to visit several newly elected conservative leaders, reflecting a significant political shift to the right in the region. He praised Ecuador as the Trump administration’s most “aggressive” partner in its military campaign against alleged drug traffickers, including controversial strikes against boats that have killed at least 227 people, whom the administration has labeled drug traffickers without providing evidence. Rubio requested $45 million in additional funding from Congress to dismantle these groups and mentioned that elite forces from both the U.S. and Ecuador are working jointly in a way that has no precedent. During his visit, Rubio also met with Colombia’s newly inaugurated president, Abelardo De La Espriella, who narrowly defeated leftist leader Gustavo Petro in a June election. Rubio criticized Petro’s leadership, calling it “unnatural,” and noted that Colombia joined the Shield of the Americas initiative after its government change. The two leaders signed memorandums of understanding on critical minerals and nuclear energy. Rubio is expected to next visit Peru, where he will meet Keiko Fujimori, who narrowly defeated a left-wing candidate in July. Fujimori has pledged to fight crime with an “iron fist” and adopt some controversial policies from El Salvador, a close U.S. ally on security matters.