Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee proposed using “letters of marque and reprisal” to let pirates combat drug cartels making threats against American authorities enforcing immigration law.

The lawmaker outlined in a Monday social media thread that issuing such “letters of marque and reprisal,” which is one of the enumerated powers of Congress as defined in the United States Constitution, would allow private citizens to become privateers and “perform acts that would otherwise be considered piracy” in order to weaken the drug cartels and seize their supplies.

In exchange, those privateers would be “rewarded with a cut of the loot,” all while operating in a more agile and easily adaptable manner than the government in countering the drug cartels.

“Congress could issue letters of marque and reprisal authorizing private security firms or specially trained civilians to intercept cartel operations, particularly those involving drug shipments or human trafficking across borders,” Lee wrote in his social media thread.

The objectives of such privateer missions would involve disrupting supply lines and seizing assets such as boats, vehicles, cash, gold, and equipment utilized during criminal activities.

Congress last issued letters of marque and reprisal during the War of 1812, although various proposals to use the enumerated power have been raised in recent decades. Former Texas Republican Representative Ron Paul proposed leveraging the legal authority to target Osama bin Laden and other terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks to avoid mounting a new war.

Lee acknowledged that using letters of marque and reprisal “could be a novel, but effective response to unique threats posed by drug cartels,” especially as the criminal syndicates threaten American military planes sending illegal aliens back to their nations of origin.