US Military Boat Strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific

Carlos Berríos Polanco discusses the United States’ yearlong campaign of extrajudicial killing through boat strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific, how the Trump Administration set the foundation for the campaign since its first day in office, and the victims of these strikes.

 

Sources: 

• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/29/us/us-caribbean-pacific-boat-strikes.html 

• https://airwars.org/boat-strikes-latin-america 

• https://media.defense.gov/2026/May/21/2003935694/-1/-1/1/OSS_Q2_MAR2026_FINAL_508.PDF 

• https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4563958/us-southern-command-establishes-joint-task-force-western-hemisphere/ 

• https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/08/06/southcom-replaces-southern-spear-with-western-hemisphere-task-force-targeting-criminal-networks/ 

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/designating-cartels-and-other-organizations-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-and-specially-designated-global-terrorists/ 

• https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2-trinis-killed-in-latest-us-strike-6.2.2425256.22ffca949f 

• https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-07-20/us-drone-attacks-mexico-drug-boats 

• https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-boat-strikes-drugs-cocaine-trafficking-95b54a3a5efec74f12f82396a79617ea 

• https://www.nacion.com/el-mundo/costa-rica-recibe-dos-cuerpos-y-sobreviviente-de/NICWT53FXRAP3JACIU3HJAJVTU/story/ 

• https://www.wola.org/analysis/killing-spree-extrajudicial-executions-in-the-u-s-boat-strikes-campaign/

• https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/terrorism/sr-ct-briefing-note-targeting-narco-terrori.pdf 

• https://www.elclip.org/los-bombardeados-sin-derecho-a-la-defensa/ 

• https://www.elclip.org/bombardeados-sin-derecho-defensa-comando-sur-victimas-caribe-pacifico/ 

• https://www.elclip.org/victimas-comando-sur-bombardeos-caribe-guajira/ 

• https://www.elclip.org/los-bombardeos-un-rompecabezas-al-que-le-faltan-muchas-piezas/ 

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/22/drug-boats-strikes-cia-legal-concerns/ 

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua/ 

• https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/12/us/el-salvador-torture-of-venezuelan-deportees 

• https://insightcrime.org/venezuela-organized-crime-news/cartel-de-los-soles-profile/ 

• https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/trump-venezuela-drug-cartel-de-los-soles.html 

• http://thehill.com/policy/defense/5162069-pentagon-officers-fired/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/us/politics/trump-justice-dept-ousters.html

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/21/us-strikes-caribbean-cia-role 

• https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-05-26/the-cia-crash-that-opened-a-fraught-month-in-mexicous-relations.html

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/12/trump-drug-boat-venezuela-legal/

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/25/trump-caribbean-boat-strikes-memo 

• https://insightcrime.org/news/why-is-us-attacking-cartels-that-dont-exist/ 

• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2025.2502924 

• https://en.unav.edu/web/global-affairs/argumentos-y-dudas-en-la-guerra-abierta-por-eeuu-contra-el-narcoterrorismo 

• https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29899 

• https://www.justsecurity.org/121115/united-states-dirty-war-narcoterrorism/ 

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/07/27/operation-southern-spear-has-not-slowed-cocaine-entering-us/ 

• https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/juan-orlando-hernandez-former-president-honduras-sentenced-45-years-prison-conspiring 

• https://www.wola.org/analysis/juan-orlando-hernandez-pardon-implications-for-u-s-foreign-policy/ 

• https://theintercept.com/2025/11/07/trump-dto-list-venezuela-boat-strikes/ 

• https://www.justsecurity.org/52343/reasonable-certainty-vs-near-certainty-military-targeting-what-law-requires/ 

• https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/02/19/wedding-became-funeral/us-drone-attack-marriage-procession-yemen 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/world/americas/us-ecuador-drug-camp-bombing-dairy-farm.html 

• https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-iran-school-attack/ 

• https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session63/a-hrc-63-61-aev.pdf 

• https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/review-of-the-fy27-state-department-budget-request  

• https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/02/kaine-paul-rubio-trump-drug-boat-strike-justification-latin-america/ 

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/ 

• https://theintercept.com/2025/12/05/boat-strike-survivors-double-tap/ 

• https://theintercept.com/2025/12/23/boat-strikes-venezuela-hegseth-bradley-legal/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/us/politics/boat-strike-shows-survivors.html 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/us/politics/us-boat-attacks-law.html 

• https://theintercept.com/2026/06/10/trump-boat-strikes-human-trafficking-victims/ 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ob469Cr7U&t=8s 

• https://www.rtvcnoticias.com/colombia/caribe/confirman-muerte-de-pescador-colombiano-en-bombardeos-estadounidenses 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/briefing/the-effects-of-the-boat-strikes.html 

• https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2025/12/03/cidh-recibe-primera-denuncia-contra-operativos-militares-de-ee-uu-en-el-caribe-por-parte-de-la-familia-de-un-pescador-colombiano/ 

• https://x.com/CNC3TV/status/1978838103222628834 

• https://www.elclip.org/victimas-guiria-bombardeos-comando-sur-trump-caribe/?lang=en 

• https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/no-justice-yet-for-chad-joseph-after-us-strike-6.2.2476227.31df119986 

• https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72191479/45/burnley-v-united-states/ 

• https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/fishermen-s-us-strike-death-lawsuit-awaits-local-court-hearing/article_20ec9021-6388-4d33-acc4-7e73f044f3a1.html 

• https://abcnews.com/Politics/week-transcript-12-14-25-sen-mark-warner/story?id=128378685 

• https://www.elclip.org/interdiccion-maritima-cocaina-jiatfs-dea-vs-bombardeos-comando-sur/ 

• https://colombiaone.com/2025/09/03/colombia-seizes-cocaine-dr/ 

• https://x.com/jiatfs/status/2103187969096003585 

• https://x.com/jiatfs/status/2086902740387865015 

• https://x.com/jiatfs/status/2102490082024235340/photo/1 

• https://x.com/Southcom/status/2097475163658883493 

• https://x.com/Southcom/status/2095666992779059404 

• https://x.com/Southcom/status/2096376737458487609 

• https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115136798909755892 

• https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115210075167747572 

• https://x.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503 

• https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115373751811822463 

• https://elpais.com/america/2025-10-20/ecuador-libera-a-uno-de-los-sobrevivientes-al-ataque-de-estados-unidos-al-narcosubmarino-en-el-caribe.html 

• https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-strike-caribbean-trump-fentanyl-colombia-venezuela-0f8f1c004064857046398b388ddb8df5 

• https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2025-11-04/el-colombiano-que-sobrevivio-al-ataque-de-estados-unidos-a-un-narcosubmarino-sale-del-hospital-libre-y-sin-cargos.html 

• https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-07/one-of-the-two-survivors-of-trumps-caribbean-bombings-dad-i-would-have-been-better-off-dead.html 

• https://theintercept.com/2026/02/17/boat-strike-trump-southcom-survivors-rescue-plane-hours/ 

• https://www.univision.com/shows/noticiero-univision/pescadores-ecuatorianos-denuncian-haber-sido-atacados-por-fuerzas-de-eeuu-video?utm_campaign=PrimerImpacto&utm_content=sprout&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

• https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/rare-survivors-of-pacific-boat-strikes

• https://es.mongabay.com/2026/05/pescadores-ecuatorianos-victimas-desaparicion-detencion-arbitraria-tortura-ee-uu-denuncian-expertos/ 

• https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/an-ecuadorian-fishing-boat-disappears-amid-trumps-strikes-in-the-pacific 

• https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-08-13/hegseth-says-colombia-has-authorized-us-military-operations-on-its-territory-to-combat-narco-terrorism.html 

• https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4420523/ecuadorian-and-us-military-forces-launch-operations-against-narco-terrorists/ 

• https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-operations-latin-american-western-hemisphere-a1fccf4414e44341d3dbd54e19ae1ba4 

• https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/09/joint-statement-on-defending-hemispheric-sovereignty 

• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-hegseth-miller-urge-latin-american-allies-to-be-more-aggressive-against-drug-cartels 

• https://www.elheraldo.co/colombia/2025/10/19/vinculan-a-colombiano-que-murio-en-ataque-de-ee-uu-con-escandalo-de-robo-masivo-de-armas-en-2016/ 

• https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar250902a-september-2-2025

• https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar250915a-september-15-2025 

• https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar251003a-october-3-2025 

• https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar251014a-october-14-2025 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.