Open letter: Executive overreach regarding extrajudicial killings in international waters and militarized responses in U.S. communities

More than 100 U.S. and international organisations have urged Congress to investigate President Trump’s lethal military strikes in the Caribbean and his deployment of military forces in U.S. communities. The sign-on letter denounces these actions as unlawful, escalating the failed and violent “war on drugs”.

Subject: Executive Overreach Regarding Extrajudicial Killings in International Waters And Militarized Responses in U.S. Communities

Dear Chair Wicker, Chair Rogers, Ranking Member Reed, and Ranking Member Smith:

We write on behalf of the 108 undersigned U.S. and international civil society organizations to sound the alarm about President Trump’s escalated U.S. military engagement in law enforcement and drug control operations. We respectfully urge the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Armed Services of the United States Congress to formally investigate the lethal military strikes that took place in September and October 2025 in the Caribbean Sea against vessels alleged to be carrying illegal drugs, as well as the Administration’s deployment of the National Guard and active duty military personnel for law enforcement purposes in U.S. communities. Based on the available information, the recent lethal strikes on alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean have no basis in either U.S. or international law and appear to constitute extrajudicial executions. President Trump’s assertion of sweeping authority to wield lethal military force against alleged drug smugglers and his vows to order more such strikes require urgent action by Congress to prevent further harms.

Military Strikes in September and October 2025

Without congressional authorization, the Trump Administration deployed navy warships and other military assets to the Southern Caribbean. The stated mission of this military operation was to counter drug trafficking. On September 2, on Trump’s orders, the U.S. military struck a boat alleged to be transporting drugs, killing all eleven people reportedly on board. The military strikes were supposedly targeting members of Tren de Aragua, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. On September 15, the U.S. military struck another vessel alleged to be transporting drugs in the Caribbean, killing three people on board. On September 16, the president told reporters that a third had also been destroyed, claiming “We knocked off actually three boats, not two, but you saw two.” On October 3, the military conducted a fourth strike, killing all on board, according to U.S. officials. On October 14, the president stated that a fifth boat strike took place killing six people.

Lack of Justification for Lethal Action

The White House justification for these killings does not pass legal scrutiny under national or international law. President Trump claims that these actions were taken to further U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. However, his Administration has not provided any evidence that could justify the premeditated killing of people on board the vessels, nor has it referenced any plausible legal or constitutional authority for conducting these lethal military strikes. No evidence has been presented that would suggest the boats were armed or were preparing to attack the nearby U.S. military vessels. To the contrary, recent reporting indicates that the first boat appeared to be turning around when it was pursued and struck repeatedly until it was destroyed. Nor has the administration explained why the usual interdiction process (arresting those on board) was not used and options short of lethal force were considered inadequate.

Threat of Continued Military Strikes without Legal Authority

Trump Administration officials have boasted about the lethal strikes and vowed to conduct more such strikes against those they deem to be “narcoterrorists” without providing a clear strategic and legal justification to Congress or the public. On his recent visit to Mexico and Ecuador, Secretary Rubio has encouraged those and other governments to cooperate with the U.S. campaign, claiming that: “They're going to help us find these people and blow them up, if that's what it takes.” The administration has deployed fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield, and are reportedly considering options to strike alleged cartels inside Venezuela. Secretary of Defense Hegseth has also claimed the boat strikes are part of a broader U.S. military campaign in the region.

Militarization in U.S. Communities

Throughout this summer, President Trump has deployed, and threatened to deploy, the National Guard and Marines to cities within the United States. In Los Angeles, as communities protested against the dangerous actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Administration responded with the deployment of war-trained military officers and predator drones. Weeks later, the president federalized Washington, D.C. law enforcement and sent hundreds of National Guard, immigration, and other federal agents to address “crime.” The Administration has also moved to send federal troops to Memphis, Chicago, and Portland to crack down on crime. These actions, whether they come in the form of increased deployments in the Caribbean, Latin America, or in U.S. cities themselves, are interconnected facets of presidential overreach.

Escalation of a Failed Drug War

This executive overreach marks the intensification of failed, antiquated drug war logic that has been used for decades to militarize public safety as both a foreign policy and domestic policy within the United States. The decades-long war on drugs in Latin America has failed to curb drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere, while fueling violence and resulting in grave human rights violations. There’s no evidence that leaning into this failed approach will help communities struggling with addiction, especially in the face of dramatic funding cuts to public health. Despite trillions of dollars spent to stop the illicit drug supply, illegal drugs remain plentiful and readily available. Crackdowns are short-lived, markets adjust, and drug suppliers respond to enforcement pressures by devising and producing more potent and dangerous drugs that are easier to conceal and transport. For example, when the U.S. federal government criminalized all fentanyl-related substances in 2018, overdose deaths rose by 60% in four years—from 67,367 deaths in 2018, to 107,941 in 2022. The policy further opened the door for newer drugs to enter the market and our streets. The Trump administration’s choice to engage in lethal military operations against those suspected to be transporting drugs is a deeply alarming escalation of this failed approach.

Conclusion

The lethal military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean that have been conducted by the Trump administration in September and October appear to have been entirely lawless acts, and may be merely the opening salvos in a wider military campaign. This situation demands a prompt and thorough response from Congress. We therefore urge you to aggressively conduct congressional oversight, act to prevent any more such killings from taking place, ensure proper accountability under the law for those responsible, and create clear legal and funding limits on the Executive’s sweeping claims for the authority to engage in such lethal strikes.

Letter with list of signatories here