Families of 2 Men Killed in Caribbean Boat Strike Sue Trump Administration/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Families of two Trinidadian men killed in an October U.S. military boat strike have sued the Trump administration, calling the action unlawful and unjustified. The lawsuit challenges the legality of recent deadly maritime strikes carried out without congressional approval. Advocacy groups say the attacks violated international law, sparking the first wrongful death case tied to the controversial operations.
Boat Strike Lawsuit Against Trump – Quick Looks
- First Lawsuit Filed: Lawsuit challenges the legality of a U.S. missile strike that killed two Trinidadian civilians in October.
- Unjustified Force Alleged: Plaintiffs claim the strike happened outside any legal armed conflict and targeted non-combatants.
- Trump’s Role Cited: The strike was publicly announced by Trump on Truth Social; six were killed.
- ACLU & CCR Involved: Lawsuit filed by civil rights groups in federal court, with additional FOIA requests pending.
- Strike Death Toll: U.S. military confirms at least 126 deaths from 36 strikes since September 2025.
- Fishing Trip Gone Fatal: Victims were allegedly returning from a fishing trip — not involved in drug activity.
- Defense Dept Response: Pentagon declined comment due to ongoing litigation.
Deep Look: Families of 2 Men Killed in Caribbean Boat Strike Sue Trump Administration
WASHINGTON (AP) – The families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. military strike on a fishing boat last October have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging the deadly attack amounted to murder and violated international law. The case marks the first legal challenge to the Trump administration’s maritime strike campaign, which has drawn intense criticism from human rights groups and legal scholars.
Filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, the wrongful death lawsuit was brought by the mother of Chad Joseph and the sister of Rishi Samaroo, two of six individuals killed on October 14 when a U.S. missile struck a small vessel traveling from Venezuela to Trinidad. The boat was reportedly returning from a fishing trip and, according to the lawsuit, carried no ties to drug cartels or hostile forces.
“These premeditated and intentional killings lack any plausible legal justification,” the complaint argues. “They were simply murders, ordered by individuals at the highest levels of government and executed by military officers.”
The strike was one of dozens authorized since early September 2025, part of what the Trump administration has described as a sweeping anti-narcotics operation across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. According to U.S. military figures, at least 126 people have died in the operations — 116 confirmed in missile strikes, and another 10 presumed dead at sea.
Critics have denounced the campaign as a dangerous escalation of military power outside the boundaries of war. The lawsuit contends that the U.S. government acted without congressional authorization, violating the War Powers Resolution and international humanitarian law, as no formal state of conflict exists between the United States and the drug cartels.
“This campaign represents an unprecedented and manifestly unlawful use of military force,” said Jen Nessel, spokesperson for the Center for Constitutional Rights, one of several advocacy groups involved in the case. The ACLU and other organizations also joined the legal effort.
The missile strike that killed Joseph and Samaroo was announced publicly by former President Donald Trump via Truth Social. The boat was reportedly ferrying the two men home to Las Cuervas, a small fishing village in Trinidad and Tobago. Families maintain the men were civilians with no criminal affiliations.
“These killings were wrongful because they occurred outside of an armed conflict, with no imminent threat justifying the use of lethal force,” the lawsuit states. It adds that non-lethal alternatives could have been employed to detain or investigate the individuals onboard.
The Defense Department declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. However, government officials have consistently defended the strikes as necessary to prevent drug smuggling and transnational criminal activity, despite growing concerns about legality and oversight.
Meanwhile, the Center for Constitutional Rights has also filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, demanding the release of internal documents that might clarify the legal rationale for the strikes.
As the first legal case of its kind, the lawsuit could set a critical precedent on the use of military force in anti-drug operations — especially when involving civilian casualties outside formal war zones.
You must Register or Login to post a comment.