The Trump administration informed Congress in a confidential notice this week that President Donald Trump has “determined” that the United States is in an armed conflict with drug cartels and that members of these organizations can be targeted as unlawful combatants.
According to the notice, the President classified these cartels as non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.
“In response, based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of the United States and friendly foreign nations, the President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations,” the notice added.
This designation effectively places drug cartels in the same legal category as terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
In recent weeks, the U.S. military reportedly struck at least three boats originating from Venezuela that were allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs posing a threat to Americans. President Trump mentioned these actions on Truth Social.
The notice to Congress outlined potential actions the President could take in targeting the cartels and cited an attack on September 15 that resulted in the deaths of approximately three unlawful combatants.
The White House has defended these strikes. “As we have said many times, the President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated on Thursday.
NBC News reported last month that the administration is considering further strikes on drug cartels inside Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied any involvement in drug trafficking and has repeatedly accused the United States of attempting to force him from power.
However, many critics of the strikes—including congressional Democrats and some Republicans—argue that the administration does not yet have the legal authority to target drug cartels using the U.S. military. They maintain that this issue remains primarily a law enforcement matter, best addressed through interdiction efforts.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as acting national security adviser, has declared that interdiction efforts have been ineffective in combating the cartels.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-determined-us-armed-conflict-cartels-congress-notice-rcna235294