[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 95 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 95

Declaring a state of war between certain cartels and the United States 
         of America and making provision to prosecute the same.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 11, 2023

     Ms. Greene of Georgia submitted the following joint resolution

                            October 25, 2023

              Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
Declaring a state of war between certain cartels and the United States 
         of America and making provision to prosecute the same.

Whereas over 7,580,000 illegal border crossers from over 160 countries have 
        invaded our country since 2021;
Whereas, in August 2023, over 304,000 illegal border crossers invaded our 
        country, surpassing all national records for monthly encounters;
Whereas there have been approximately 1,600,000 known ``got-aways'' who have 
        evaded United States authorities;
Whereas many of these illegal border crossers are military-aged men, are on the 
        United States terrorist watchlist, and are gang members who are killing 
        Americans and are a direct threat to our national security;
Whereas the Mexican cartels are executing the complete invasion of our country;
Whereas fentanyl is the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 
        and 45;
Whereas fentanyl kills approximately 300 Americans a day;
Whereas, to date in fiscal year 2023, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has 
        seized approximately 24,000 pounds of fentanyl attempting to be smuggled 
        into the United States; this is enough fentanyl to kill every single 
        American 15 times over;
Whereas, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 
        the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Beltran-Leyva 
        Organization, Los Zetas and Cartel del Noreste, Guerreros Unidos, the 
        Gulf Cartel, Juarez Cartel and La Linea, La Familia Michoacana, and the 
        Los Rojos have the greatest drug trafficking impact on the United 
        States;
Whereas the DEA's top operational priority is to defeat the Sinaloa and Jalisco 
        New Generation Mexican drug cartels, both of which have been declared to 
        be the greatest criminal drug threat the United States has ever faced;
Whereas these ruthless, violent, criminal organizations have associates, 
        facilitators, and brokers in all 50 States of the United States;
Whereas the Mexican cartels employ an estimated 175,000 members;
Whereas human trafficking is a $150 billion dollar-a-year industry;
Whereas the United States is one of the top destinations for human trafficking;
Whereas the cartels made approximately $13 billion just from human trafficking 
        and smuggling in 2021;
Whereas human trafficking cases in the United States increased drastically in 
        fiscal year 2022, with arrests increasing by 50 percent and convictions 
        by 80 percent;
Whereas, in February 2021 alone, Border Patrol estimated that the cartels made 
        $14,000,000 per day smuggling illegal aliens across the border;
Whereas the cartels charge illegal border crossers between $10,000 and $70,000 
        per person to cross our border illegally and invade our country;
Whereas the Sinaloa Cartel employs gatekeepers assigned to Ports of Entry and 
        controls the Arizona and California smuggling corridors into the United 
        States;
Whereas former special agent for DEA's Special Operations Division testified 
        under oath that the cartels have ``total control'' over the United 
        States southern border;
Whereas, in March 2022, inside 4 houses controlled by a faction of the Sinaloa 
        Cartel in the northern state of Sonora, the Mexican army recovered 
        2,800,000 rounds of ammunition, 89 hand grenades, 20 machine guns, 6.50 
        caliber sniper rifles, more than 150 handguns and automatic rifles, and 
        bulletproof vests;
Whereas, in May 2022, United States authorities broke up a Cartel del Noreste 
        scheme to buy $500,000 worth of machine guns, grenades, and rocket-
        propelled launchers to be smuggled south from the United States into 
        Mexico;
Whereas, according to the American Sheriff Alliance, transnational criminal 
        organizations like the cartels and gangs are directly responsible for 
        the increases in deaths, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and 
        unprecedented violence occurring in cities and counties across our 
        Nation; and
Whereas, by the acts of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New General Cartel, the 
        Los Zetas and Cartel del Noreste, the Gulf Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, 
        the Juarez Cartel and La Linea, the Beltran-Levya Organization, the 
        Guerreros Unidos, the Los Rojos, and La Familia Michoacana (together, 
        the ``Cartels''), a state of war exists between these Cartels and the 
        United States of America: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DECLARATION OF WAR.

    (a) Pursuant to Article 1, section 8 of the United States 
Constitution, the Congress hereby formally declares that a state of war 
exists between the United States and--
            (1) the Sinaloa Cartel;
            (2) the Jalisco New General Cartel;
            (3) the Los Zetas and Cartel del Noreste;
            (4) the Gulf Cartel;
            (5) the Tijuana Cartel;
            (6) the Juarez Cartel and La Linea;
            (7) the Beltran-Levya Organization;
            (8) the Guerreros Unidos;
            (9) the Los Rojos; and
            (10) La Familia Michoacana and Knights Templar Cartel.
    (b) The President is hereby authorized and directed to employ the 
entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources 
of the Government to carry on war against such Cartels; and, to protect 
the citizens of the United States, all of the resources of the country 
are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF MEXICO.

    That--
            (1) the United States is not in a state of war with the 
        United Mexican States (Mexico); and
            (2) it is in the interest of the United States to work with 
        the Government of Mexico to carry on war against such Cartels.
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