US military boat strikes off Latin America's Caribbean and Pacific coasts have killed hundreds of people since the campaign began in September 2025, according to Associated Press reporting.
President Trump has publicly acknowledged authorizing CIA covert operations inside Venezuela and stated he is considering strikes on drug traffickers on land.
The administration designated multiple cartels, including Tren de Aragua and Sinaloa, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations in February 2025.
The Senate in October 2025 rejected a bipartisan War Powers resolution that would have required congressional authorization for the boat strikes, voting 48-51.
UN human rights experts have called the boat strikes 'extrajudicial killings' that violate international law.