U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a press release on May 2 that the State Department officially designated the Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs, and specially designated global terrorist groups, or SDGTs. Rubio said the gangs "are the primary source of instability and violence in Haiti" and "are a direct threat to U.S. national security interests."