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

The Trump administration has ramped up its boat strike campaign, conducting three strikes in three days, bringing the total to 50 strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. These actions, part of Operation Southern Spear, have destroyed 51 vessels and killed 171 civilians, with the administration claiming victims are members of unnamed cartels. On April 11, attacks on two boats in the Pacific Ocean killed five people, and another strike on April 13 killed two more. Experts like Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer, and members of Congress from both parties, argue these strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings as the military targets civilians not posing an imminent threat. The U.S. State Department is also reportedly pressuring the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to avoid investigating the boat strike campaign.