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The Trump administration sent a memo to Congress on Thursday saying that the United States is now “in a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, which administration officials have designated 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 White House said that the report was issued to Congress following the Sept. 15 strike against “a Designated Terrorist Organization” and “does not convey any new information.”
In a statement to Fox News, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said that Trump has 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.”
The notification to congressional lawmakers came as Democrats on key committees have accused the administration of exceeding its powers to use the military against the cartels, particularly in the wake of recent strikes on what the administration said were drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean.
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“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.”
“They illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year,” it 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 specifically cites the Sept. 15 strike.
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“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.
Trump has pledged to unleash the U.S. military on drug cartels amid a buildup in the Caribbean while signing off on a series of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug vessels from Venezuela to combat the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
In August, Trump approved sending several U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers to bolster counter-narcotics efforts in the region.
At the time, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said his country was prepared to respond to any attacks. Maduro is accused by the administration of being a key figure in a “narco-terrorism” conspiracy and leading a violent drug cartel.
He is the subject of a $50 million bounty placed by the Justice Department.
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