In a legislative move aimed at escalating the United States’ war on organized crime and fentanyl trafficking, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has introduced a joint resolution to authorize the use of American military force against nine of the most dangerous Mexican drug cartels, including Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and the Sinaloa Cartel.
The resolution, filed this week in the House of Representatives, grants President Donald Trump the authority to deploy the full force of the U.S. Armed Forces against cartels that have, according to Steube, “violated the territorial integrity of the United States” and pose “a clear and evident danger” to American lives and sovereignty.
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“We can no longer ignore the deliberate invasion of Mexican drug cartels into our neighborhoods and communities,” said Steube. “These are not ragtag bands of low-level lawbreakers but organized criminal enterprises that profit off death and addiction.”
The resolution specifically names the following cartels as targets:
- Tren de Aragua (TdA)
- Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)
- Sinaloa Cartel
- Jalisco New Generation Cartel
- Northeast Cartel
- Michoacán Family
- The United Cartels
- Cartel del Golfo
- Clan del Golfo
The measure notes that these cartels are responsible for terrorism, extrajudicial killings, human trafficking, and the trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine into the U.S. Steube’s office highlighted Tren de Aragua’s alleged involvement in the high-profile murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, as well as the group’s violent activities in Colorado and links to Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
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“A Sledgehammer to the Cartels”
Rep. Steube described his resolution as a way to give President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the legal green light to “take a sledgehammer” to these transnational criminal groups and disrupt their operations at the source.
The proposal aligns with Trump’s tough-on-crime and national security platform, and comes amid growing concern over the opioid crisis, which claims over 200 American lives per day, largely due to fentanyl smuggled by cartels across the southern border.
The resolution invokes Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which empowers Congress to provide for the common defense. It also complies with the War Powers Resolution, making it a formal and specific authorization of military action if passed.
“Congress must act decisively. Until the Mexican government steps up to dismantle these criminal empires, we must defend ourselves,” Steube said.
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The resolution has been referred to the appropriate House committee for review. If approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President, it would represent one of the most aggressive U.S. military mandates against non-state actors operating in the Western Hemisphere in modern history.
As the 119th Congress ramps up debates over border security and foreign policy, Rep. Steube’s proposal places cartel violence and drug trafficking squarely at the center of America’s national security agenda.
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