Ali: No authority to use military force to fight drug cartels

March 7, 2023 AFP

Javed Ali, AFP: "Unless this resolution or any similar one becomes law, there is currently no explicit legal authority that the president has that directly approves military operations against drug cartels in Mexico. (If there was an attack on US soil, Biden) could argue that he can use his inherent Article II powers as Commander-in-Chief under the Constitution to authorize an attack. But that would be politically and diplomatically contentious with the approval of Congress."