Lacking Congressional Authorization, Trump Starts “Secret War” Against Cartels

President Donald Trump told Congress on October 2 that the United States is now formally engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which his administration has labeled “unlawful combatants” — an attempt to provide legal cover for unilateral action against civilians.

Trump’s announcement was made without a formal Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress and violates constitutional requirements saying that only the legislative branch can declare war .

The news comes after the U.S. military illegally bombed at least three boats in the Caribbean Sea over the past month, claiming, without evidence, that they were targeting drug traffickers. The attacks killed 17 people and have been condemned by human rights organizations as “unlawful extrajudicial killings.”