The U.S. Is Still Routinely Killing Civilians in Boats

Key Points:

• The Trump administration has intensified its campaign of boat strikes, carrying out three attacks in three days and totaling 50 strikes targeting civilian vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, resulting in over 170 deaths.
• Recent strikes include attacks on April 11 and 13 in the Pacific Ocean, killing multiple people and leaving survivors presumed dead after search efforts were abandoned or unsuccessful.
• Operation Southern Spear has destroyed 51 vessels and killed 171 civilians, with the U.S. claiming the victims were cartel members, though no specific groups have been named; the campaign has expanded to land-based actions along the Colombia–Ecuador border in coordination with Ecuadorian forces.
• Legal experts and some members of Congress argue the strikes constitute illegal extrajudicial killings, as targeting civilians without imminent threat violates laws of war and departs from traditional law enforcement approaches in the drug war.
• Search and rescue efforts following attacks have often been inadequate or delayed, with most survivors killed or left to drown; a rare Coast Guard rescue occurred after a March 19 attack, with one survivor critically injured and hospitalized.