The Trump administration’s campaign of lawless killing on the high seas is under increasing scrutiny from the media and Congress, while the threat of war with Venezuela continues to grow.
The scandal has largely been focused on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in ordering the killing of survivors of a U.S. strike as they clung to the wreckage of their boat.
The targeting of helpless survivors is flagrantly illegal and particularly disturbing. Yet it’s crucial to recognize that all 22 boat strikes carried out by the Trump administration are illegal and immoral.
As we’ve written about previously, the targeting of alleged drug smugglers does not constitute an armed conflict. That means the Trump administration is using military force outside of war to kill civilians who are merely suspected of crimes. That’s murder.
As one expert put it this week: “The president is using wartime powers he does not have to kill civilians he cannot legally target.”
Yet President Trump is doubling down, threatening to expand strikes to target alleged drug operations inside Venezuela and raising fears of a new U.S. war to oust President Nicolás Maduro. But bipartisan pushback is mounting.
The Republican chairs of the House and Senate armed services committees vowed to investigate the strike on survivors, and new bills have been introduced in both chambers aimed at stopping this lawless killing and preventing an unauthorized forever war against Venezuela.
While a Venezuela War Powers Resolution narrowly failed to pass in the Senate last month, a bipartisan group of Senators including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) are vowing to force another vote.
We must make our voices for peace heard – before it’s too late.
Elsewhere
Racist attacks on immigrant communities continue
President Trump continued to make racist comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) and the broader Somali community in Minnesota this week. This was compounded by a deeply unjust scapegoating of immigrant groups in response to the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in D.C. The administration halted all immigration proceedings for people from 19 countries already impacted by a travel ban – including naturalization ceremonies.
These words and actions are unacceptable and shameful. They don’t represent the best of the United States or our values. We are sending our love and solidarity to Rep. Omar and the immigrant community.
Humanitarian aid trickles into Gaza as medical crisis continues
Although the scale of the bombardment on Gaza has slowed, the Israeli government continues to only allow a trickle of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is not nearly enough to sustain life, much less rebuild the territory, according to Amnesty International.
Sen. Ed Markey (MA) led a group of lawmakers in calling on the Trump administration to provide desperately needed medical aid for Gaza. As Sen. Markey put it, “If we want any chance at peace, we need to restore the dignity of medical care.”
DREAM Act reintroduced
This week, Senators Dick Durbin (IL) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) reintroduced the DREAM Act. This act would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers who came to the U.S. as children. It would provide much-needed stability for our communities and protect those under threat of losing their homes in this country.
Our work for the DREAM Act has continued for years. We won’t give up until we have a pathway to citizenship for all members of our community.
How is the world doing on landmines?
This past week, FCNL’s Ursala Knudsen-Latta spoke on a webinar with Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-2) on the recent release of the 2025 Landmine Monitor and 2025 Cluster Munition Monitor. Despite some hopeful stories of progress, these reports found continued use of these indiscriminate weapons amid declining global support for dealing with the explosive remnants of war, with the United States withdrawing from many of its commitments.
