Trump says U.S. in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels in Caribbean

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump told Congress that the U.S. is engaged in "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the Caribbean shortly after ordering four military strikes on suspected drug boats in the region.

"The President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations," according to the confidential notice the administration sent to Congress. Trump directed the U.S. Department of War to "conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict." 

"The United States has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations," the memo said.

Trump ordered military strikes on Sept. 2, Sept. 15, Sept. 19 and Oct. 3 on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. Trump said the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was using the boats to smuggle drugs to the U.S.

On his second day in office in his second term, Trump issued an executive order designating Mexican cartels, the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and Salvadoran La Mara Salvatrucha (known as MS-13), as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists under the U.S. Constitution, Immigration and Nationality Act and International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The U.S. said the four boat strikes resulted in 21 deaths. The Sept. 2 attack killed 11. The strike on Sept. 15 killed three, as did the strike on Sept. 19. The Oct. 3 attack killed four. U.S. officials have released a few details about the strikes. Trump posted videos of two strikes on social media. He told reporters about the third. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted a video of the fourth strike, which killed four people, on social media on Friday.

"Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route," the secretary of War wrote. "These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!"

Earlier this morning, on President Trump's orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the… pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 3, 2025

David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, said the military strikes were a significant change in U.S. policy and could pose legal challenges.

"The strikes are both illegal and unconstitutional," he told The Center Square. "The law is clear that the military is only authorized to intercept vessels to communicate with them and refer them to civilian law enforcement. The Constitution prohibits war without congressional authorization, and even in a war, the military may not intentionally kill civilians."

After one of the U.S. strikes against a speedboat, agents from the Dominican Republic's National Drug Control Directorate and the Dominican Republic Navy seized 377 packages of suspected cocaine about 80 nautical miles south of Beata Island, Pedernales province. 

Bier said President Barack Obama and Trump, during their first terms, used the military to kill suspected terrorists abroad, but not drug suspects.

"There is some precedent for the U.S. covertly helping foreign countries use their militaries to kill drug suspects, which was exposed in 2011 when the CIA helped kill a U.S. missionary in Peru," he said.

However, Trump's tactics won't dent drug supplies in the U.S significantly, Bier said.

"It will certainly reduce drug trafficking by boats near Venezuela, but will do little to reduce total supply coming to the United States because drug trafficking is a global phenomenon with a variety of channels," Bier told The Center Square.  

The White House said the president is protecting Americans.

"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.

After the first boat strike on Sept. 2, Trump warned smugglers operating in the area.

"The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States," Trump wrote in a social media post. "The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!"

In late September, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for a criminal investigation into Trump and other U.S. officials after the deadly strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. Petro said "unarmed young people are being shot at with missiles in the open seas" moments after taking the podium at the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.

"Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, who are from the U.S., even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump," Petro said.

Vice President J.D. Vance has defended the strikes over the objections of some members of his own party.

"Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military," Vance wrote Sept. 6 on social media.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pushed back.

"Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the 'highest and best use of the military.' Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial," Paul responded.