Trump: U.S. in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels | LiveNOW from FOX

President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels as unlawful combatants and said the United States is now in a "non-international armed conflict."

This is according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday.

Congress was notified about the designation by Pentagon officials on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"Although friendly foreign nations have made significant efforts to combat these organizations, suffering significant losses of life, these groups are now transnational and conduct ongoing attacks throughout the Western Hemisphere as organized cartels," according to the memo, which refers to cartel members as "unlawful combatants."

"Therefore, the President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States."

Pentagon officials could not provide a list of the designated terrorist organizations at the center of the conflict.

National security analyst Hal Kempfer joins LiveNOW's Austin Westfall.

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