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. According to the notice, members of these organizations can be targeted as unlawful combatants.
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. The notice stated, “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.”
This designation essentially places drug cartels in the same legal category as terrorist groups like Al Qaeda or the Islamic State.
In recent weeks, the U.S. military reportedly struck at least three boats from Venezuela allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs that could threaten Americans, President Trump said on Truth Social.
The notice to Congress included examples of actions the President could take in targeting the cartels and cited an attack on September 15 that killed approximately three unlawful combatants. The White House has defended these strikes, emphasizing their legality.
“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,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement Thursday. “He is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans.”
NBC News reported last month that the administration is considering strikes on drug cartels operating inside Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied any role in drug trafficking and has repeatedly alleged that the United States is trying to force him from power.
However, many critics of the strikes, including congressional Democrats and some Republicans, argue that the administration does not have the legal authority to target drug cartels using the U.S. military. They maintain that drug trafficking remains a law enforcement matter best addressed through interdiction.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as acting national security adviser, has declared interdiction efforts ineffective, underscoring the administration’s rationale for the military approach.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-determined-us-armed-conflict-cartels-congress-notice-rcna235294
