Description: The Trump administration has issued a memo declaring members of the drug cartels as unlawful combatants and declared the US to be engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels. The memo arrives after two months of continuous escalation of tensions with Venezuela after the Trump administration deployed significant military and naval power in the region. US President Trump has repeatedly stated that drug cartels represented a national security issue as they smuggled tons of illegal substances within US borders which have caused the deaths of almost 100 thousand Americans on a yearly level. The designation in line with the memo further escalates tensions with Venezuela as President Maduro has stated that the US was attempting to topple his government. The US actions in recent months have also intensified in – country violence in Mexico and Ecuador as drug cartels have been engaged in power struggles and access to key trading routes amid the enhanced US military presence in the region.
Impact: The memo from the Trump administration only exemplifies the previous designation of drug cartels as terrorist organizations and gives broader powers of the military to use deadly force and detain members of these organizations. The legality of the targeted attacks on boats in the Caribbean in recent months as well as the designation of drug cartels as terrorist organizations has been widely disputed and it is not supported on a legal basis, since the US Congress is the government organization deciding on such actions. The widening of presidential powers only delegitimizes government institutions such as the Congress and offers a wide variety of jurisdiction and unchecked operational outreach which could have legal ramifications. The US military and naval presence in the Caribbean presently constitutes a show of force move, while tensions would persist in the upcoming period or at least until the Trump administration considers that the operational objectives in combating illegal drug trafficking have been achieved. The security situation in the region is continuing to deteriorate with gang violence in Haiti, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico.