After One Year of Carnage, 42 Organizations Urge Congress to End Trump Administration’s Unlawful Boat Strikes

WASHINGTON —  To mark one year of the Trump administration’s illegal and immoral campaign of extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, Defending Rights & Dissent joined over 40 organizations in sending a letter that urged Congress to halt the strikes, defund the campaign, and investigate and hold accountable any individuals responsible.

“The brazenly criminal boat strikes have gone on for a year. 225 people have been extrajudicially murdered,” said Sue Udry, Executive Director of Defending Rights & Dissent. “It’s far beyond time for Congress to take action to end the killings, and to begin to hold the Trump administration accountable for their violations of U.S. and international law.”

Read the full letter here.

The letter was led by Win Without War, Anmesty International, Center for Civilians in Conflict  and the Washington Office on Latin America.  Amanda Klasing, National Director for Government Relations & Advocacy at Amnesty International USA, noted, “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. 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. How many more people will be killed at sea from this administration’s illegal actions before Congress does its job? The time to act is now.”

In December, 2025, Defending Rights & Dissent presented Hegseth’s Illegal Orders, a program with international law expert, Marjorie Cohn, discussing the boat strikes as war crimes.

“We need to be crystal clear about what is happening: U.S. forces are carrying out extrajudicial executions—deliberate murders conducted by the state—and doing so with complete impunity,” said John Walsh, Director for Drug Policy and the Andes at the Washington Office on Latin America.“Without even a shred of evidence or due process, U.S. forces are acting as judge, jury and executioner. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s killing spree has no impact on the flow of illegal drugs or the strength of organized criminal networks. History will not look kindly upon those who devised, ordered and applauded this murderous policy, nor those who stood silently by as the Trump administration took aim at the rule of law.”

“It’s been one year of U.S. murder on the high seas with no accountability for the civilian victims and their families – nor to the American public, who remains in the dark about who the US is targeting and why,” said Annie Shiel, U.S. Advocacy Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict. “The stakes are extraordinarily high: families across the region may never know what happened to their loved ones, while the president is asserting that he can kill anyone he accuses of a crime, anywhere in the world, without due process. Congress cannot allow this lawless campaign to continue a single day more. Lawmakers must pass legislation refusing to fund these strikes, demand basic transparency about the strikes, and pursue accountability for those killed.”