As the U.S. military’s deadly, ongoing and illegal campaign of air strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific nears one year, Amnesty International USA’s National Director for Government Relations, Amanda Klasing, said:
“For one year, the U.S. military has carried out a campaign of extrajudicial killings at sea that has left more than 225 people dead, with the most recent four deaths just six days ago. For just as long, we have called on Congress to take meaningful action to stop these killings, which are illegal under both international and U.S. law.
“U.S. authorities have yet to offer a shred of evidence to support their claims against the people they have killed. They have not even named the dead. But even if the victims were transiting narcotics as the administration alleges, international law absolutely prohibits summary killings of criminal suspects.
“Unfortunately, with a few notable exceptions, lawmakers have done little to try to halt this horrific campaign of murder at sea. And let us be clear: extrajudicial killings are a form of murder. How many more people will die at sea from this administration’s illegal actions before Congress does its job?
“We look forward to the day when the architects and perpetrators of this campaign of extrajudicial killings are investigated and face justice, including the people who ordered these operations: President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Until then, we will continue pushing Congress to do its job to stop this ongoing policy of murder, and we urge people to call their representatives and do the same.
“But the blame does not solely rest on U.S. authorities. Any authorities in Latin America who have aided these killings with equipment or intelligence must stop collaborating in this illegal air strike campaign and likewise face justice.”
Background
The U.S. air strike campaign in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific began on September 2, 2025. Since then, administration officials have announced 227 total deaths.
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