Trump Admin Declares ‘Armed Conflict’ With Latin American Cartels

By Courtney McBride and Roxana Tiron (BGOV) (Bloomberg) —

The Trump administration has determined that the US is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, according to a notification to Congress, offering further legal justification for recent strikes on alleged drug-runners from Venezuela.

The notice, sent by the Pentagon to Congress this week, says the US “has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks” by the groups, which President Donald Trump has also designated terrorist organizations.

A copy of the notice was obtained by Bloomberg. The New York Times reported the move earlier Thursday. 

An automatic reply to an email seeking comment from the White House said a response may be delayed “due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown.” The Pentagon also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. Military Strike on Cartel Vessel Sparks Legal Debate

The notification expands on the Trump administration’s legal justification for deadly strikes that have drawn criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as well as legal experts. Critics have accused the White House of carrying out extrajudicial killings and failing to prove definitively that those killed in the strikes posed an imminent threat to US citizens.

Some of those critics have also warned that the administration may be preparing to attack Venezuela directly. Trump didn’t rule out that possibility when reporters asked about it on Sept. 30, saying “we’ll see what happens with Venezuela.”

“Every American should be alarmed that Pres Trump has decided he can wage secret wars against anyone he labels an enemy,” Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a post on X. “Drug cartels must be stopped, but declaring war & ordering lethal military force without Congress or public knowledge — nor legal justification — is unacceptable.”

The White House has released video of two attacks on purported drug-trafficking vessels, saying that the first killed 11 “narco-terrorists” and that the second killed three. Trump told reporters last month that the US military had “knocked off” a third boat, but did not elaborate.

The language in the notification expands on one submitted to congressional leaders on Sept. 4, following an earlier US military strike against a purported drug trafficking vessel. At the time, Trump wrote: “It is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that will be necessary. United States forces remain postured to carry out further military operations.”

The latest notice says law enforcement efforts to stem the flow of illicit drugs over several decades have proven insufficient, with the substances becoming more potent, while “the cartels involved have grown more armed, well organized, and violent.”

–With assistance from Tony Capaccio.

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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