ICYMI: DNI Gabbard, Homeland Security Task Force Launch Fusion Cell To Thwart Foreign Terrorist Gangs And Cartels

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ODNI News Release No. 37-25
October 24, 2025

ICYMI: DNI Gabbard, Homeland Security Task Force Launch Fusion Cell To Thwart Foreign Terrorist Gangs And Cartels

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard joined a White House roundtable alongside President Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and other top Administration officials to highlight the extraordinary successes of President Trump's interagency Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF).

The HSTF represents a historic, nationwide initiative to consolidate U.S. law enforcement, military, and intelligence efforts into a targeted approach to dismantle criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) that has already resulted in 3,000+ arrests and 150,000+ pounds of seized narcotics.

At the White House, DNI Gabbard announced the recent establishment of the National Counterterrorism Center's (NCTC) Interagency Fusion Cell - known widely as "NIFC" - to streamline two-way sharing of actionable information between the intelligence community and law enforcement, in direct support of HSTF dismantlement operations and President Trump's Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.

The NIFC is physically located inside of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, bringing together representatives from federal law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community in one centralized location, where they work together to identify terrorist cartels and gangs and quickly share information with law enforcement partners in the field to action.

While NIFC has only been operational for six months, the interagency group has already played an integral role in the identification and successful arrest of numerous criminals, including 'La Diabla,' the now infamous baby trafficker.

Read more about how NCTC intelligence and the newly established NIFC disrupted a major Sinaloa Cartel drug operation, and supported the interagency apprehensions of murderer and cartel boss 'El Pato' and cartel baby trafficking ringleader 'La Diabla'.

DNI Gabbard's full remarks can be found here and below:

"Thank you, Mr. President. The key reason that you are hearing about these incredible effects is number one, the team that you've assembled here and the leadership and the tone that you have set, first and foremost, about keeping the American people safe. The Intelligence Community plays a critical role in being able to support our law enforcement at the federal, state, and local level to make sure that they're armed with actionable intelligence to be able to actually go after those who threaten the safety and security of the American people.

"Mr. President, under your leadership for the first time, there is a newly-created national intelligence fusion cell at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Counterterrorism, that has a very simple purpose: to make sure that we have two-way intelligence sharing of actionable information between the Intelligence Community and law enforcement.

"I want to talk briefly about three successes that we've had just here in the last few weeks, Mr. President, through the success of this interagency fusion cell. Just this last week, our National Counterterrorism Center supported through actionable intelligence to both US law enforcement as well as Mexican law enforcement, the arrest of a Sinaloa Cartel boss, 'El Pato,' in Juarez, Mexico, as well as his top three money launderers. In a separate and recent successful interagency operation, NCTC worked closely with the US Marshal service that led to the arrest of another dangerous Sinaloa cartel member responsible for tracking huge amounts of cocaine and hundreds of thousands of dollars in this single incident with drug proceeds through his network. And I'll say the last example I'll share is probably the most insidious, was providing intelligence to the Mexican law enforcement that led to the arrest of a CJNG cartel-affiliated baby trafficker called 'La Diabla'. Her whole moneymaking operation was centered around luring pregnant women, performing illegal c-sections, harvesting organs and selling newborn babies.

"Mr. President, it's your leadership that has made all of this possible. I can tell you in the midst of this government shutdown, our folks, like everyone around this table, are working 24/7, without pay, and eager to get after this because they believe in your leadership and the mission that you have presented to them. Thank you, Mr. President. I'll hand this off to Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, the leader of this task force."

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