WASHINGTON (AP) — In less than two months, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say the U.S. military has killed 32 people in seven strikes…
In less than two months, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say the U.S. military has killed 32 people in seven strikes against drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea.
Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. He has asserted the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, relying on the same legal authority used by the Bush administration when it declared a war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks.
But as the number of strikes has grown, a debate in Congress has escalated over the limits of the president’s power. The attacks have occurred without any legal investigation or a traditional declaration of war from Congress, and some lawmakers have raised questions about the lack of hard evidence to justify the killings.
Meanwhile, an unusual naval buildup off South America has stoked fears of invasion in Venezuela and speculation that Trump could try to topple President Nicolás Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S.
Here is a timeline of the U.S. military actions and the concerns among some lawmakers:
Trump signs an executive order on his first day back in the White House that paves the way for criminal organizations and drug cartels to be named “foreign terrorist organizations.” They include Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan street gang.
The U.S. intelligence community has disputed Trump’s central claim that Maduro’s administration is working with Tren de Aragua and orchestrating drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the U.S.
The Trump administration formally designates eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.
The label is normally reserved for groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State that use violence for political ends — not for profit-focused crime rings.
U.S. officials confirm the military deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.
The naval force in the Caribbean grew within weeks to include three amphibious assault ships and two other U.S. Navy vessels, about 6,000 sailors and Marines in total. The amphibious assault ships have a variety of aircraft on board, and the U.S. deployed F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in September.
A Navy submarine also is operating off South America and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.
The U.S. carries out its first strike against what Trump says was a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by Tren de Aragua.
Trump says 11 people were killed and posts a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.
