A new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) targeting “Mexican Cartels,” introduced by Rep. Gregory Steube (FL-17), marks a dangerous push to expand U.S military operations and endless wars under the guise of combatting drug cartels.
Rep. Steube’s proposed war authorization would permit the use of lethal force against nine organizations, referred to as “covered cartels,’ as well as “any forces directly coordinated or affiliated with any covered cartel, and any successor organization or forces to any such covered cartel.”
Since September 11, successive administrations have extended prior AUMFs to cover “associated” or “affiliated” forces and “successor” organizations, expanding the authorization’s scope and usurping Congress’s constitutional authority to declare war.
Additionally, the lack of geographic limitation in Rep. Steube’s AUMF increases the possibility of military operations extending far beyond Mexico’s borders—just as military operations under the 2001 AUMF have extended into over 20 countries.
Congress must reject this hostile gesture toward our southern neighbor.
Congress must reject this hostile gesture toward our southern neighbor. War authorizations provide immense power to carry out activities that would otherwise constitute grave violations of human rights. Illicit drug use does cause significant harm that deserves a robust response, but the government should focus on public health initiatives that save lives, not saber rattling and threatening to violate the sovereignty of our southern neighbor.
In his first term, President Trump began laying the groundwork for militarized action in Mexico, framing the ‘War on Drugs’ as a national security threat. According to former secretary of defense Mark Esper, in 2020 the President suggested launching missiles into Mexico to “wipe out” cartels.
This sentiment was echoed and intensified by figures such as current national security advisor Mike Waltz, who introduced an AUMF to target Mexican cartels in 2023. Now, a growing bloc in Congress is seeking to frame the flow of illicit drugs across our southern boarder not as a public health concern, but as a matter of national security requiring a militarized response.
In addition to risking a new and unwinnable war, threats to use military force in Mexico strain diplomatic relations with one of our nation’s largest trading partners and closest neighbors.
This rhetoric has serious consequences. In addition to risking a new and unwinnable war, threats to use military force in Mexico strain diplomatic relations with one of our nation’s largest trading partners and closest neighbors. This increases racist narratives that conflate Latinos — on both sides of the border—with cartel violence.
In response to the growing calls to use military force in Mexico, Rep. Castro, Joaquin (TX-20) has introduced a resolution affirming the United States’ respect for Mexico’s sovereignty and opposing the unauthorized use of force within its territory. The resolution currently has 25 cosponsors.
This stance is critical, not only to stop the spread of endless war, but to also reaffirm Congress’s constitutional responsibility to debate and authorize war, not cede that power to the executive branch. As former State Department attorney Brian Finucane said, the unilateral executive branch use of force in Mexico is “almost certainly illegal.”
In the face of continued calls for U.S military action in Mexico, Congress must reject the claims that this would make Americans safer. Congress must assert their authority to declare war, respect Mexico’s sovereignty, pursue good faith public health responses to illicit drug use, and firmly reject any unauthorized use of military force.
