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 the organizations can be targeted as unlawful combatants.
“The President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the notice said.
"In response, based upon the cumulative effects of these hostile acts against the citizens and interests of 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,” it added.
The designation essentially puts drug cartels in the same legal category as terrorist groups like Al Qaeda or the Islamic State.
In recent weeks, the U.S. military struck at least three boats from Venezuela allegedly carrying narco-traffickers and drugs that could threaten Americans, Trump said on Truth Social.
The notice to Congress cited an attack on Sept. 15 that killed “approximately 3 unlawful combatants" as an example of actions Trump could take in targeting cartels.
The White House has defended the 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 said in a statement Thursday.
NBC News reported last month that the administration is considering strikes on drug cartels inside Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied any role in drug trafficking and has repeatedly alleged that the United States is trying to force him from power.
Many critics of the strikes, including congressional Democrats and some Republicans, maintain the administration still does not have the legal authority to target the drug cartels using the U.S. military and that it remains a law enforcement matter relying on interdiction. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also acting national security adviser, has declared interdiction efforts ineffective.
