Activists warn Trump’s Caribbean boat strikes risk regional war

Washington, DC – Dozens of United States-based quality rights, religion and argumentation groups person criticised President Donald Trump’s enlargement of subject operations successful the Caribbean, informing that his administration’s caller run could effect successful “a full-blown limitless warfare with 1 oregon much countries successful the region”.

In a missive written to Congress connected Wednesday, the signatories condemned a bid of caller US strikes connected boats successful the Caribbean, including astatine slightest 3 originating from Venezuela, that person killed much than 20 radical since September. The strikes are the archetypal lethal US subject operations successful the Caribbean successful decades, portion of what the Trump medication calls a combat against “narcoterrorism”.

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“The Trump medication has not provided immoderate valid ineligible justification for these strikes oregon immoderate grounds to substantiate its claims that the victims were an imminent menace to the information of the United States,” the missive said.

Signed by astir 60 organisations – including Oxfam America, Human Rights First, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns and the American Friends Service Committee – the missive called connected members of Congress to artifact what it described arsenic unauthorised and amerciable uses of force.

“We fear, barring decisive enactment by members of Congress, determination volition beryllium much strikes, much extrajudicial killings, and perchance a full-blown limitless warfare with 1 oregon much countries successful the region, with apt devastating humanitarian and geopolitical consequences,” the missive said.

The entreaty was issued earlier a War Powers Resolution introduced by Senators Tim Kaine and Adam Schiff was expected to scope the Senate level connected Wednesday. Schiff said helium and Kaine volition unit a ballot to artifact the authorities from carrying retired lethal strikes against vessels successful the Caribbean.

“If a president tin unilaterally enactment radical oregon groups connected a database and termination them, determination is nary meaningful bounds to his usage of force,” Schiff said.

The measurement seeks to halt unauthorised US subject enactment successful the Caribbean and reassert Congress’s authorization implicit the usage of force.

Escalation and ineligible concerns

The New York Times reported successful July that Trump signed a concealed directive authorising the anticipation of “direct subject operations astatine oversea and connected overseas ungraded against cartels”.

Within weeks, US Navy warships and craft and much than 4,000 soldiers were deployed to the confederate Caribbean. Two weeks later, the archetypal of 4 strikes occurred.

To warrant the escalation, the medication labelled definite determination groups similar Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua pack arsenic “foreign violent organisations” and “specially designated planetary terrorists”. However, ineligible experts noted these designations bash not authorise the usage of subject unit overseas.

Administration officials person defended the escalation arsenic a counternarcotics mission, insisting that the targeted vessels were linked to cause trafficking and “terrorist organisations”.

But according to the Washington Office connected Latin America and the UN Office connected Drugs and Crime, astir 90 percent of US-bound cocaine transits the eastbound Pacific and occidental Caribbean, not adjacent Venezuela’s coast. The Drug Enforcement Agency likewise reported that fentanyl entering the US is produced successful Mexico utilizing precursor chemicals from China, not Venezuela.

At the Naval Station Norfolk successful Virginia this week, Trump told reporters that if traffickers “aren’t coming by oversea immoderate more”, US forces mightiness “move the combat onto land”.

Two screengrabs from a video posted connected the X relationship of the White House connected September 15, 2025, picture what President Donald Trump says was a US subject onslaught connected a Venezuelan cause cartel vas connected its mode to the US [Handout/White House via Reuters].

Regime alteration fears

As the administration’s rhetoric has progressively blurred the enactment betwixt targeting cause traffickers and targeting the Venezuelan authorities itself, civilian nine groups are arguing that the strikes are portion of a broader strategy aimed astatine authorities alteration successful Venezuela. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has agelong advocated for authorities alteration there, has referred to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government arsenic a cartel “masquerading arsenic a government” and branded him a fugitive from US justice, offering up to a $50m reward for his capture.

However, interior documents obtained by the Freedom of the Press Foundation confirmed that US quality agencies acknowledged Maduro’s authorities is “not directing [Venezuela’s] Tren de Aragua’s operations successful the United States”.

Alex Main, manager of planetary argumentation of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, warned that Trump’s run “could soon beryllium directed astatine Venezuela successful an effort to incite convulsive authorities change” and different countries, specified arsenic Mexico oregon Panama, could besides look US involution with “potentially disastrous consequences” for the region.

Democrats connected the Foreign Affairs Committee successful the House of Representatives person besides stated that “Trump and Rubio are pushing for authorities alteration successful Venezuela,” adding: “The American radical don’t privation different warfare – and Congress can’t fto immoderate president commencement 1 illegally oregon unilaterally. That’s not however the Constitution works.”

Elizabeth Tregaskis Gordon, elder argumentation advisor for LAC astatine Oxfam America, told Al Jazeera that galore Venezuelans are already “living done crisis” and warned that an summation successful US subject would disrupt humanitarian enactment successful the country.

“Many cannot entree basal necessities to survive, portion they look rising prices for user goods and expanding nutrient insecurity,” she said. “Worsening of the humanitarian situation volition lone pb to much chaos and disruption; existent US subject enactment is unconstitutional, violates the UN charter, and should cease immediately. ”

Faith communities instrumentality a stand

“War is ever a defeat,” Susan Gunn, manager of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, told Al Jazeera. “When specified sidesplitting is aimed astatine civilians with nary owed process, it violates the sacredness of quality beingness and undermines basal quality rights and the regularisation of law.”

The missive her radical and others wrote to Congress besides warns that further escalation could worsen Latin America’s largest modern displacement crisis, deepening the suffering of millions of radical who person already fled Venezuela.

The signatories urged Congress to reverse the subject build-up, analyse civilian deaths and prosecute diplomacy.

The Friends Committee connected National Legislation’s wide secretary, Bridget Moix, added: “War is not the reply astatine location oregon abroad.”

“In these unprecedented times,” the missive concluded, “it is captious that the US Congress reclaim its law powers.”