President Donald Trump made history again on Thursday with a declaration of war against North and South American drug cartels, escalating a conflict that until now has taken place beneath the surface of intercontinental diplomacy and remained within anti-trafficking frameworks.
In a brief memo sent to Congress, the White House laid out its reasoning for declaring a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, which the administration referred to throughout the document as “terrorist organizations.”
“The President directed these actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct foreign relations,” the memo states.The ratcheting up of military rhetoric comes as Democrats have accused President Trump of usurping Congress’s authority to declare war. Just days earlier, the president addressed a joint meeting of America’s global military leaders where he encouraged the deployment of soldiers to deep-blue cities as “training grounds” for future military engagement.
“The cartels involved have grown more armed, well-organized, and violent,” the memo said. “They have the financial means, sophistication, and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity.”
Cartel activity, especially south of the continental U.S., has been a hallmark of diplomatic negotiations around trade, both legal and illicit, and is synonymous with the pressing demands of third-world countries where cartels operate.
President Donald Trump made history again on Thursday with a declaration of war against North and South American drug cartels, escalating a conflict that until now has taken place beneath the surface of intercontinental diplomacy and remained within anti-trafficking frameworks.
In a brief memo sent to Congress, the White House laid out its reasoning for declaring a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, which the administration referred to throughout the document as “terrorist organizations.”
“The President directed these actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct foreign relations,” the memo states.
The ratcheting up of military rhetoric comes as Democrats have accused President Trump of usurping Congress’s authority to declare war. Just days earlier, the president addressed a joint meeting of America’s global military leaders where he encouraged the deployment of soldiers to deep-blue cities as “training grounds” for future military engagement.
“The cartels involved have grown more armed, well-organized, and violent,” the memo said. “They have the financial means, sophistication, and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity.”
Cartel activity, especially south of the continental U.S., has been a hallmark of diplomatic negotiations around trade, both legal and illicit, and is synonymous with the pressing demands of third-world countries where cartels operate.
Trump’s declaration of war makes official some of the extrajudicial military activity his administration has already taken against drug traffickers off the coast of South America in recent weeks. Drone missiles obliterated two speedboats suspected of carrying cartel members and a wealth of drugs bound for the U.S., prompting bipartisan condemnation even from Republicans like U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a fierce libertarian.
Increased U.S. activity has weighed heavily on politicians in Mexico, where last month a fistfight broke out on the floor of the country’s senate as lawmakers traded accusations about their willingness to accept Trump’s offer for direct military intervention.
“They illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year,” the memo continued. “Although friendly foreign nations have made significant efforts to combat these organizations, suffering significant losses of life, these groups are now transnational and conduct ongoing attacks throughout the Western Hemisphere in the form of organized cartels. Therefore, 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 memo makes reference to the first strike on a cartel speedboat on Sept. 15.
“The vessel was assessed by the U.S. intelligence community to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and, at the time, engaged in trafficking illicit drugs, which could eventually kill Americans,” it said.
Last month, the U.S. Justice Department singled out Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro with a $50 million bounty, accusing him of “narco-terrorism” and conspiring with drug cartels to profit off sales in the U.S., Fox News reported.