HRES 168

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 27, 2025

Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Casar, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Vargas, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Omar, Ms. Titus, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Carson, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Jacobs, Mrs. Cherfilus- McCormick, Ms. Norton, Ms. Schakowsky, and Ms. Tlaib) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

Reaffirming the United States commitment to respecting the sovereignty of Mexico and condemning calls for military action in Mexico without Mexico’s consent and congressional authorization.

Whereas Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, to which the United States is a party, states, “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner . . .”; Whereas the Charter of the Organization of American States, to which the United States is a party, Article 3(h) of Chapter III states, “An act of aggression against one American State is an act of aggression against all the other American States”, and Article 3(i) states, “Controversies of an international character arising between two or more American States shall be settled by peaceful procedures”; Whereas Article 22 of the Charter of the Organization of American States declares, “The American States bind themselves in their international relations not to have recourse to the use of force, except in the case of self defense in accordance with existing treaties or in fulfillment thereof”; Whereas the United States and Mexico have cooperated for several decades on a variety of issues such as trade, investment, counter-narcotics, migration, rule of law, and security, including through recent high- level security and economic dialogues; Whereas unilateral military action in Mexico could result in further violence and displacement in the country, contributing to forced migration within the Western Hemisphere including the United States; Whereas Mexico is the largest trading partner of the United States, and unilateral military action in Mexico could trigger severe bilateral consequences that drive up expenses for workers and consumers in the United States; Whereas unilateral military action in Mexico by the United States risks trapping the United States military in an intractable conflict, endangering the lives of United States service members and civilians in both Mexico and the United States; and Whereas it is in the interest of the United States to work with the Mexican government to address the challenges posed by transnational criminal organizations: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) respects the sovereignty of Mexico, as protected by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Charter of the Organization of American States;

(2) rejects and condemns the use of military force by the United States against entities based in Mexico if conducted without the consent of the Mexican Government and without an explicit authorization for the use of military force enacted by Congress;

(3) recognizes that any act of aggression on Mexico’s sovereign territory without their consent could be considered an act of war and a violation of international law;

(4) emphasizes that any actions by the President to engage in hostilities in Mexico without congressional authorization and for purposes other than repelling a sudden attack would impinge on the constitutional separation of powers and implicate the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.);

(5) underscores that any designation of an entity, including transnational criminal organizations, as a foreign terrorist organization under United States law on its own does not provide the President the authority to conduct military actions against that entity;

(6) reaffirms the President’s inherent power to repel sudden attacks on United States persons and territory while noting that the manufacture, transportation, and sale of fentanyl and related chemical compounds is not an invasion, predatory incursion, or other armed attack by a foreign adversary and should not serve as the basis for using military force without congressional authorization; and

(7) calls on continued United States engagement with Mexico and strong bilateral relations to support productive and effective means of combating rising crime, violence, and drug trafficking. <all>