Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s State Department is planning to designate Cartel de los Soles, a Venezuelan cartel led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

In a Sunday statement on X, formerly Twitter, Rubio said the State Department intends to officially designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The secretary of state claimed that the Venezuelan cartel is “headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro,” has corrupted Venezuela’s government institutions, and is “responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”

In a Sunday press release, the State Department noted that the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation is currently scheduled to take effect on November 24.

“Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary,” the State Department wrote. “Neither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela’s legitimate government. Cartel de los Soles by and with other designated FTOs including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel are responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.”

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The State Department emphasized that the United States will use “all available tools” to prevent narco-terrorists from obtaining funding and resources and to protect its national security interests.

The State Department’s announcement comes as the U.S. Navy confirmed on Sunday that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has entered the Caribbean Sea after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the strike group to support Trump’s effort to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.”

“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said. “The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.”

CNN reported that Venezuela recently launched a “massive mobilization” of its military in response to what Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López described as an “imperialist threat” from the U.S. military as the Trump administration continues to deploy military assets to the region.