Around the country, celebrations of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence have continued throughout the summer.
Beyond the fireworks and all of President Trump’s patriotic spectacles, this is a moment to recall our country’s foundational ideals, rooted in the belief that all people have the basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Yet, we will soon mark another anniversary that challenges our country’s continued commitment to those bedrock principles.
On September 2, 2025, the U.S. began a campaign of lethal strikes targeting individuals on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. To date the U.S. has killed at 227 people in this deadly campaign.
The Trump administration argues that these killings were perfectly legal, conducted as part of an “armed conflict” – the technical term for “war” – with a secret list of Latin American groups engaged in narcotics trafficking. Those killed, it claims, are “narcoterrorists” who can be targeted with missiles as a matter of first resort, like fighters on a battlefield.
But something isn’t war simply because the president says it is.
But something isn’t war simply because the president says it is. Otherwise what’s to stop any government declaring it is at war with any group, and summarily executing civilians whenever it pleases? As legal experts have repeatedly affirmed, “the United States is not engaged in an armed conflict with any drug cartel.” (emphasis in original)
Rather, these strikes are premeditated killings of human beings suspected of committing crimes (specifically, drug trafficking, which is generally not a capital offense), without charge or trial. Under international law, this constitutes unlawful extrajudicial killing. Under domestic law, it is murder.
The U.S. government has not released any information about the men targeted, nor any evidence of their alleged connection to narcotics trafficking. The few victims we know about are not “narcoterrorists,” but people like Alejandro Carranza, a fisherman from Colombia and Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, two Trinidadian farm workers.
The dehumanizing nature of the boat strikes is exemplified by the very first operation, which took place one year ago. Eleven people were killed on a vessel that was traveling from Venezuela. It was later revealed that two of those people were survivors. But there was no attempt to rescue them. Instead, after clinging to a burning boat for approximately 45 minutes, they were “blown apart in the water” in a second “double-tap” strike.
To add insult to injury, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently reported that the lethal campaign has had no impact on the flow of cocaine into the country. A current government official even labeled the strikes “murder for murder’s sake.”
A current government official even labeled the strikes “murder for murder’s sake.”
And there is no end date in sight. In the midst of a recent two-month pause in the maritime strikes, the administration announced its plans to expand the military operation on land in several Latin American countries. It was also reported that a CIA operation targeted three Ecuadorian fishing boats, including the Fiorella, whose eight-member crew are still missing.
This horrific campaign must end. FCNL calls on Congress to do everything it can to prevent any more taxpayer funds being used to commit government sanctioned murder. Contact your members of Congress here.
