For over three months, the U.S. military has repeatedly struck boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, claiming that the vessels were intending to carry drugs into the United States. Since the first attack was announced on Sept. 2, these strikes have occurred nearly every week, killing dozens of people.
NPR compiled a list of these boat attacks using posts on Truth Social and X by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. These posts show grainy video footage of vessels being blown up. The administration has not publicly released further evidence that the boats were actually carrying drugs and who was on board. Select lawmakers have been briefed about the U.S. attacks, though some of them, including the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have requested additional information.
Loading...
The strikes are part of a larger Trump administration strategy to target what officials call "narco-terrorists." In a post on X on Nov. 4, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to "find and and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens," adding that "NO cartel terrorist stands a chance against the American military."
Of specific interest to Trump is targeting Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that his administration designated a foreign terrorist organization in January 2025. In dozens of speeches since taking office, Trump has accused Tren de Aragua of violent criminal activity within the United States' borders.
"Such organizations torture, maim, mutilate and murder with impunity," Trump said in an address to the United Nations on Sept. 23. "And for this reason, we've recently begun using the supreme power of the United States military to destroy Venezuelan terrorists and trafficking networks led by [Venezuelan President] Nicolás Maduro." The Venezuelan government denies the charges that it plays a role in drug trafficking.
Legal scholars question whether the executive branch has the unilateral authority to launch these attacks in international waters without an authorization of force from Congress. The administration claims it does have the authority, and the president has said he doesn't need a congressional declaration of war.
There are also reports that these strikes have endangered and killed civilians. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. of murdering a Colombian fisherman with no ties to drug smuggling in a September strike. Relations between the United States and some Latin American countries had already begun to strain since Trump took office. This latest high-profile military operation in the region marks a significant further erosion.
Copyright 2025 NPR
