U.S. airstrikes and military raids in Latin America would put people at risk of violence and destabilize hemispheric relations while hindering, not helping, efforts to protect communities from drug trafficking and other crime. We urge Congress to use the full slate of its powers to prevent the administration from launching unlawful hostilities in Latin America without democratic debate or public accountability. As administration officials have acknowledged, Secretary of State Rubio’s designation of criminal groups in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) does not unlock exceptional wartime authorities. Unilateral and hastily conceived military action could contribute to the considerable human rights abuses, criminal violence, and forced displacement already harming communities in Latin America. These militarized policies have all too often contributed to poverty, violence, and displacement across Latin America – issues that have led so many to seek refuge in the United States.