…the #Trump admin has argued that the #US #military can legally kill suspected traffickers because they pose an imminent threat to Americans & are “enemy combatants” who are in an “armed conflict” with the US, acc/to a memo sent by the admin to #Congress. The #DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion, which is still classified, reinforcing that argument, …& Trump has designated a number of drug cartels as “foreign terrorist groups.”
The White House has said repeatedly that the #Trump admin’s actions “comply fully with the Law of Armed Conflict,” the area of #InternationalLaw that is designed to prevent attacks on #civilians.
But legal experts say the #LawOfArmedConflict would still apply to civilian drug traffickers, & the designation of a group as a foreign #terrorist organization does not automatically authorize the use of lethal force.
