The Trump administration has characterized drug cartels as 'unlawful combatants' and described the United States as being in an armed conflict with those cartels.
November 08, 2025
high
policy
Describes a U.S. government policy stance classifying drug cartels for the purpose of using military force.
The U.S. executive branch under President Donald Trump has characterized transnational drug cartels as "unlawful combatants" and described the United States as being in an "armed conflict" with such cartels.
November 07, 2025
high
policy
Describes a stated U.S. government legal/policy characterization used to justify military action against alleged drug-smuggling networks.
The Trump administration has characterized some drug cartels as participants in an "armed conflict" and has asserted that certain narcotics-trafficking vessels are operated by foreign terrorist organizations.
November 06, 2025
high
temporal
Policy stance used to justify U.S. strikes on vessels suspected of narcotics trafficking.
President Donald Trump has characterized U.S. engagement with drug cartels as an "armed conflict" and has invoked legal authority analogous to that used by the U.S. government after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to justify military action against cartels.
November 02, 2025
high
temporal
Stated legal and policy rationale for using military force against drug trafficking organizations.
Governments may assert that they are in a formal armed conflict with non-state actors, such as drug cartels, and rely on that assertion as a legal justification to carry out military strikes against those actors.
November 02, 2025
high
policy
Executive-branch determinations of armed conflict can be used as a claimed legal basis for use-of-force operations against non-state groups.
The Trump administration described its operations against drug cartels as a 'non-international armed conflict' and characterized narcotics smuggled by cartels as causing tens of thousands of American deaths annually, framing such trafficking as an 'armed attack'.
October 26, 2025
high
legal/policy
Statement reflects a U.S. administration's legal and policy characterization of narcotics trafficking and related security operations.
In 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that drug cartels are unlawful combatants and stated that the United States is in an 'armed conflict' with them.
October 24, 2025
high
temporal
Summarizes a 2025 U.S. executive position characterizing cartel activity and the legal framing used by the president.
In 2025, the U.S. administration declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and characterized the United States as being in an "armed conflict" with those cartels.
October 16, 2025
high
temporal
U.S. policy designation and legal framing of drug cartels that enables military-style actions.
The U.S. government can designate criminal organizations, including drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations, which can trigger additional enforcement and financial measures.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Designation as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) is a policy tool used to expand enforcement options against non-state groups.
In 2023, Mexico's army reported that drug cartels increased their use of roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices, with particular emphasis on bomb-dropping drones.
January 01, 2023
high
temporal
Official security assessment of evolving tactics by drug cartels
The Trump administration has designated some drug cartels as "narco-terrorists" and treated them as enemy combatants eligible for military targeting.
high
temporal
U.S. administration policy framing drug cartels as lawful military targets.
The Trump administration has asserted that the U.S. president can, without congressional authorization, determine that drug cartels and individuals who work for them are enemy combatants.
high
temporal
Administrative claim about executive authority to classify non-state actors as enemy combatants for targeting purposes.
Homeland Security task forces are designed to combat transnational criminal organizations such as drug cartels and foreign terrorist organizations, and to target criminal networks engaged in human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering.
high
descriptive
General description of the mission and scope of Homeland Security task forces aimed at transnational criminal networks.
Michoacán is a western state of Mexico with agricultural regions where powerful drug cartels have operated and sought to extort farmers.
high
contextual
Describes regional characteristics and persistent criminal activity affecting agricultural producers.