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President Trump has told Congress what the rest of the country already knows: we are under attack by ruthless criminal organizations that operate like armies, and the administration has formally determined the United States is in a “non-international armed conflict” with those cartels. This is not theater — it is a sober legal move to give our military and commanders the authority they need to stop killers trafficking death into American neighborhoods.
Those powers follow a string of U.S. military strikes this fall against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean that the administration says were tied to violent Venezuelan-linked gangs, operations that reportedly killed multiple operatives. No one who cares about the lives lost to fentanyl or the terror these cartels sow should reflexively rule out using every tool to stop them.
The White House memo explicitly calls these groups unlawful combatants and labels them as non-state armed groups and terrorist organizations, arguing their transnational, paramilitary tactics amount to armed attacks on the United States. For years Democrats and media elites treated cartels as merely “criminal enterprises”; the administration is finally calling them what they are — armed enemies who must be denied safe harbor.
Predictably, the usual chorus of Washington naysayers raised concerns about legality and congressional oversight, demanding lists and briefings even as deadly smuggling continues unabated. Democrats’ outrage rings hollow when contrasted with their decades of open-border policies that created the conditions for cartels to flourish; if members of Congress want to complain, they should do one of two things — fund and legislate a real solution or get out of the way.
Make no mistake: this administration is answering to the American people, not to the performative hand-wringing of coastal elites. Conservatives should applaud a president willing to confront violent transnational criminals aggressively rather than offering yet another lecture about “root causes” while American children die in our streets from poisoned drugs.
Those who worry about due process should ask themselves which is more important: due process for smugglers who traffic lethal fentanyl, or the lives of everyday Americans? The legal debates matter, but they cannot be an excuse for paralysis while cartels arm themselves like militias and ship death across our borders. We need a focused strategy that combines law enforcement, military pressure, and fellow-traveler cooperation from neighboring countries to cut off supply chains and dismantle cartel command structures.
The media will scream, the left will seek headlines, and some in Congress will posture for cameras, but patriots understand the duty of government is to protect citizens first. Stand with our troops and with a president who finally recognizes the nature of the threat, and demand that Congress provide the resources and legal clarity to finish the job.
If Americans want safety, they must insist on results: secure the border, disrupt cartel finances, and let commanders and law enforcement use the tools proven to stop the flow of drugs and violence. This is the moment to choose security over excuses, strength over sentimentality, and the American people over the cartels that seek to destroy us.
