Mercenaries for Hire: Burchett’s Plan to Legalize Trump's Brownshirts

From cartels to political enemies—how this reckless bill paves the way for lawless bloodshed.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) wants to return the United States to the age of piracy and lawless mercenaries. His proposed "Cartel Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025" would authorize private citizens—essentially bounty hunters and militias—to engage in armed combat against Mexican drug cartels. In theory, these government-sanctioned privateers would hunt cartel operatives, seize their assets, and be rewarded for their work.

But let’s be very clear: this is not a bold new idea. This is a reckless revival of a 200-year-old practice abandoned for good reason. Worse, it opens the door to unchecked violence, civilian casualties, and a dystopian future where state-sanctioned vigilantism replaces the rule of law.

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Resurrecting a Dangerous Relic

Burchett’s bill is based on Letters of Marque and Reprisal, an antiquated concept enshrined in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution. These laws once allowed private citizens, mostly ship captains, to attack and seize enemy vessels on behalf of the U.S. government. It was legalized piracy.

The last time the U.S. officially issued a Letter of Marque was during the War of 1812. After that, the practice fell into disuse, and not without cause. As the U.S. developed a professional military, allowing private citizens to engage in warfare became legally, morally, and diplomatically indefensible. The Hague Conventions of 1907 effectively banned privateering worldwide, and modern warfare has made these laws obsolete.

Even when Ron Paul suggested reviving Letters of Marque after 9/11 to hunt Osama bin Laden, Congress rejected it. Why? Because unleashing private militias without accountability is a recipe for disaster.

And yet, here we are in 2025, with Burchett resurrecting a long-dead and dangerous legal loophole, framing it as a way to fight cartels while ignoring the catastrophic consequences.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Everything.

The problems with this proposal aren’t hypothetical. They’re inevitable.

1. No Oversight, No Accountability, No Justice

Burchett’s bill puts private war-making in the hands of individuals with no government oversight. Who decides who is a cartel member? What stops these “privateers” from murdering innocent people based on suspicion or racial profiling? What happens when they accidentally kill civilians?

No court, military tribunal, or accountability mechanism is in place. If these privateers commit war crimes, extort civilians, or execute people without due process, there’s no system to hold them responsible.

2. Corruption and Cartels Fighting Cartels

Even if the government could identify and fund “trustworthy” privateers, what stops these mercenaries from turning into cartel enforcers themselves? What if they start working for rival drug organizations, taking bribes, or becoming traffickers?

This is not speculation. It’s exactly what happened in Mexico.

Mexico Tried This. It Was a Disaster

Mexico experimented with this exact idea in the 2010s when it supported vigilante “Autodefensa” groups to combat cartels. At first, they were seen as heroes, locals arming themselves against brutal cartel violence. But without oversight, these groups became the very thing they were fighting.

• Many began acting like cartels themselves, extorting businesses, kidnapping people, and terrorizing communities.

• Some joined forces with rival drug organizations, turning vigilante justice into a full-blown war between paramilitary groups.

• The Mexican government lost control, eventually having to disarm or fight these militias as they became as dangerous as the cartels themselves.

Seriously? Who didn’t see that coming? And now, the U.S. is on the verge of making the same catastrophic mistake.

A Roadmap to Full-Blown Vigilante Justice

This bill wouldn’t stop with cartels. Once the government authorizes private citizens to use force, it never stops where it started. History shows us that when governments embrace vigilantism, it always escalates. Think that’s hysteria talking? Look at history.

The Pinkertons: Corporate Death Squads

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the U.S. government and corporations hired private mercenaries, the Pinkertons, to crush labor movements. These privateers weren’t fighting drug traffickers; they were beating, killing, and terrorizing striking workers.

The KKK: Vigilantism Turned Domestic Terrorism

After the Civil War, many Southern officials turned a blind eye to Ku Klux Klan violence, treating it as “necessary” self-policing. The result? The Klan evolved into a full-blown white supremacist terror group, lynching thousands and enforcing racial apartheid.

The Nazi Brownshirts: Street Enforcers of Authoritarianism

In 1930s Germany, Hitler’s SA (Brownshirts) started as a vigilante force attacking communists and “undesirables.” Once empowered, they turned into the Nazi regime’s enforcers, paving the way for full-scale authoritarian control.

Some argue it could never happen here, but it already has. The Pinkertons and KKK are home-grown, and this is Trump’s America now.

Trump’s America: From Cartel Hunters to Authoritarian Militias

The most terrifying aspect of this bill is that it aligns perfectly with Donald Trump’s vision of an authoritarian America.

• Trump has already praised authoritarian leaders like Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin, who use private militias to suppress dissent.

• His allies have openly discussed using the military to round up political opponents.

• He has already demonstrated his willingness to pardon and incite violence in his name, as seen with the January 6th "protestors" who stormed the Capitol at his urging. Many of those convicted for their role in the insurrection have been described as “hostages” by Trump himself, and he pardoned them on Day 1 as he promised if reelected.

• Trump and his administration’s ties to white supremacy and violent right-wing groups have been well documented. This is not in any way a stretch.

• This bill creates the perfect mechanism for Trump-aligned mercenaries to enforce his policies without law enforcement oversight.

This isn’t just about cartels. It’s about creating a private army, outside of the military and police, that could be used for political violence. Have you seen the Authoritarian Playbook? This is straight from its pages.

Conclusion: America Must Reject This Madness

Tim Burchett’s bill is not a solution to cartel violence. He knows it. We know it. Beyond being dangerous, this also violates international law, including Mexico’s sovereignty, and could lead directly to war between nations. It’s a pathway to corruption, racial profiling, global conflict, and authoritarianism.

Today, it’s cartels. Tomorrow, it’s immigrants. The next day, it’s protesters. And before long, it’s anyone who dares to resist a rising authoritarian regime. This is MAGA legitimizing the creation of Trump’s very own Brownshirts.

Congress must bury this bill before it becomes the first next step toward an American dystopia.

Bibliography:

Primary Sources

1. Fox News – “Mike Lee floats allowing private parties to target drug cartels for profit” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mike-lee-floats-allowing-private-parties-target-drug-cartels-profit

2. National Constitution Center – “Article I, Section 8, Clause 11: Letters of Marque and Reprisal” https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/article-i/clauses/753

3. Avalon Project - Yale Law School – “Hague Conventions of 1907” https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hague07.asp

4. Congressional Research Service – “Letters of Marque and Reprisal: Historical Background and Modern Use” https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10135