President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday that U.S. military forces killed six people in a strike on a boat accused of carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, marking the fifth such lethal operation in the Caribbean since September and bringing the total death toll to 27. The strike, authorized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, occurred in international waters and targeted what Trump described as a vessel “associated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route”. The president shared an unclassified video showing a small boat being struck by a missile and exploding, though he provided no evidence to substantiate claims about the vessel’s cargo or the identities of those killed.
Congressional Opposition Intensifies
The administration’s use of lethal military force against suspected drug traffickers has sparked bipartisan backlash in Congress, with lawmakers from both parties demanding transparency and questioning the legal basis for the strikes. Democratic Senators Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia led an effort to invoke the War Powers Act, introducing a resolution that would require congressional approval before future operations.
“There has been no authorization to use force by Congress in this way. I feel it is plainly unconstitutional,” Schiff said, warning the strikes risk escalating into a full-blown conflict with Venezuela.
The resolution attracted bipartisan support, with Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats in backing the measure. However, it ultimately failed in a 48-51 vote on October 10, as 51 Republican senators blocked the effort.
Senator Kaine criticized the administration’s lack of transparency, stating the classified briefings offered “no information about why attacking rather than interdicting”. He added, “the suspicious mind in me says it’s because there aren’t good answers”.
According to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter, the Trump administration has not provided underlying evidence to Congress proving that the targeted vessels were actually carrying narcotics. The administration has also declined to disclose the identities of those killed, their nationalities, or specific details about what drugs were allegedly being transported.
Legal Justification and International Concerns
The Trump administration has justified the strikes by designating certain drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and claiming the U.S. is now in a “non-international armed conflict” with these groups. In a notification to Congress, the Pentagon indicated that Trump had determined smugglers for these cartels qualify as “unlawful combatants” subject to military force.
This represents a significant departure from traditional counternarcotics policy, where the Coast Guard typically intercepts vessels and arrests suspects for criminal prosecution rather than using lethal military force. Legal experts and human rights organizations have characterized the airstrikes as violations of international law, arguing that drug traffickers do not meet the criteria of armed combatants.
“Perhaps for the first time in the history of the United States, the President of the United States ordered U.S. forces to use lethal force against people who posed no threat of violence and who have been thousands of miles from our shore,” Schiff stated to Congress.
Military Buildup Fuels Regional Tensions
The strikes follow a substantial U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that began in late August, including eight warships housing over 4,500 sailors and Marines, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 fighter jets deployed to Puerto Rico. Military officials and analysts indicate the force serves a dual purpose: targeting suspected drug trafficking while ratcheting up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino warned that the U.S. government knows the drug trafficking accusations are false, claiming the real intent is “regime change” in Venezuela. He described U.S. actions as “anti-political, anti-human, warmongering, rude, and vulgar”.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced the administration’s hardline stance, stating on Fox News, “We’re not going to have a cartel, operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere”. The U.S. has increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s apprehension to $50 million, accusing him of connections to drug trafficking and criminal organizations—allegations Maduro consistently denies.
Maduro has suggested he may declare a state of emergency to safeguard Venezuela against potential U.S. military actions, and the country has begun mobilizing troops and enlisting militia members.
Questions About Drug Routes and Effectiveness
The administration’s focus on waters off Venezuela has raised questions among drug policy experts. The Washington Office on Latin America and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime report that approximately 90 percent of cocaine destined for the U.S. travels through the eastern Pacific and western Caribbean, rather than near Venezuela’s coastline. The Drug Enforcement Agency has similarly indicated that fentanyl entering the U.S. is produced in Mexico using precursor chemicals from China, not Venezuela.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a retired Army major and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that “unrestrained strikes in the Caribbean could destabilize the area, incite conflicts with neighboring nations, and entangle our forces in yet another protracted conflict”.
Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota criticized what she described as Trump’s “lawlessness” in the Caribbean, stating, “Congress has not declared war on Venezuela or Tren de Aragua, and merely designating a group as a terrorist organization does not grant any President the authority to bypass Congress’s clear Constitutional powers concerning matters of war and peace”.
Despite the growing congressional opposition, Defense Secretary Hegseth asserted in a Fox News interview that he possesses “every authorization” needed for the strikes, stating, “If you’re in our hemisphere, if you’re in the Caribbean, if you’re north of us, and you want to traffic drugs into the United States, you are a legitimate target for the United States military”.
The latest strike comes just days after Senate Republicans blocked the War Powers Resolution, ensuring the administration can continue the operations without congressional authorization for the time being.
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