Trump administration re-designates Houthis as a terrorist group after Biden's reversal

The U.S. Department of State officially designated Ansarallah, also known as the Houthi, as a foreign terrorist group, thus materializing one of the first promises that President Donald Trump made upon taking office for the second time. Executive Order 14175, signed by the Republican leader, states that "The Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade."

In a communiqué, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that the action was necessary and demonstrates the current U.S. administration's commitment to protecting the security of the American people and national interests. "Today’s action taken by the State Department demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, the safety of the American people, and the security of the United States. Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities," Rubio said. Likewise, the secretary of state added that the Trump administration will not tolerate any country interacting with terrorist organizations such as the Houthis under the guise of conducting legitimate international business.

Biden had revoked the previous designation

While Trump had previously designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization in the final days of his first presidency, former President Joe Biden revoked the designation during the first days of his term. Despite receiving numerous criticisms from Republicans and some Democrats, the Biden administration explained that the left-wing leader made this decision out of fear that maintaining the designation against the Houthis could hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen at that time.

Over the past few months, the terrorist group has detained dozens of United Nations (UN) officials in Yemen. The Houthis have also detained members of the former U.S. embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, members of civil society and people associated with different humanitarian aid groups in the country.

In February, the UN announced in a statement that it had decided to suspend indefinitely all its operations in response to the actions committed by the terrorist group. For its part, the Department of State offered a reward of $15 million and possible relocation for those who provide information leading to the disruption of the Houthis' financial mechanisms.