Republican Sen. Mike Lee introduced a bill authorizing the Trump administration to issue letters of marque to seize cartel operatives and assets outside the United States.
"The Constitution provides for Letters of Marque and Reprisal as a tool against the enemies of the United States," Lee said when discussing the initiative, according to Breitbart.
"Cartels have replaced corsairs in the modern era, but we can still give private American citizens and their businesses a stake in the fight against these murderous foreign criminals. The Cartel Marque and Reprisal Reauthorization act will revive this historic practice to defend our shores and seize cartel assets," he added.
Lee reacted to the publication with a social media publication: "Would you like to seize cartel assets as a privateer? My bill would allow the president to issue you a letter of marque. Time to take these pirates down," he said.
Would you like to seize cartel assets as a privateer?
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) December 18, 2025
My bill would allow the president to issue you a letter of marque.
Time to take these pirates down. 🏴☠️ https://t.co/Gea6Y0MVyl
The Trump administration has been conducting strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific against alleged drug vessels it claims are carrying drugs that will ultimately end in the U.S.
Attacks have now killed more than 100 people after the two most recent strikes on Thursday. The U.S. Southern Command said in a social media publication that the attacks took place on December 18 at "the direction of U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
"Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the publication noted.
The Trump administration has told Congress it considers itself to be in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels and has labeled those killed as "unlawful combatants," citing a classified Justice Department finding that it says permits lethal action without judicial review, as CNN explains.
The operation has drawn growing criticism from legal experts and lawmakers, particularly over a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 that killed two survivors of an initial attack, with several experts have said that second strike could constitute an extrajudicial killing under international law. Hegseth has rejected declassifying the footage and won't release it publicly.
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