WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amnesty International on May 27 called on lawmakers and the international community to take action against the U.S. government, warning that a recent military campaign targeting vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific has resulted in a death toll approaching 200 people.
“The U.S. Congress and the international community must take immediate action to stop the U.S. military’s unconscionable campaign of extrajudicial killings at sea and push for accountability,” Amnesty International stated, stressing concern over the increasing number of casualties.
According to Amnesty International, the campaign began Sept. 2, 2025, with an airstrike against a boat in the Caribbean Sea that resulted in the deaths of 11 people. Amnesty International said this was where “the first extrajudicial killings of the campaign took place,” and noted that it “remains the deadliest single strike yet.”
U.S. military efforts did not remain centered in the Caribbean. According to Amnesty International, “the U.S. has expanded its bombings to the Eastern Pacific,” carrying out “an average of six strikes per month across both regions.”
Since the first strike, the military operation has continued to expand. Amnesty International reported that “since September 2025, the U.S. Southern Command has carried out nearly 60 air strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.”
The most recent data show the death toll has reached 194 people, according to Amnesty International.
Amnesty International USA National Director for Government Relations Amanda Klasing expressed concern about the normalization of extrajudicial killings and stressed the need for immediate action.
“Not only are these killings illegal, they are immoral. People of good conscience cannot allow this to continue, yet Congress has so far failed to halt, or even slow down, this lethal and unlawful campaign,” according to Amnesty International.
October 2025 became the deadliest month of the operation. As airstrikes continued, Amnesty International reported that 45 people were killed in 11 attacks, making it “the deadliest month” since the campaign began.
The violence was at its worst on Oct. 27, when, according to Amnesty International, 15 people were killed in three airstrikes, making it “the deadliest single day of the campaign.”
Despite increasing dissent across the world, the operation has continued into 2026. Amnesty International reported that “already this year, the U.S. military has killed over 70 people, including at least nine last month.”
“Every single person that the U.S. has killed at sea was arbitrarily deprived of their right to life, and they and their families have a right to justice,” Amnesty International stated.
Given the rapid escalation of the operation, the organization said that “numbers alone cannot capture the unimaginable human toll of this horrific campaign of murder at sea.”
Amnesty International has criticized explanations provided by White House officials, including those from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to the press release, “the administration’s justifications for these air strikes have been shambolic.”
Federal officials claimed the attacked vessels contained “narco-terrorists,” despite what Amnesty International described as a lack of evidence and the absence of a publicly available list of victims.
Amnesty International further noted that “the administration has yet to even say who the supposed ‘narco-terrorist’ groups are.”
Additionally, the organization said Hegseth “did not indicate that the U.S. actually knows the identities of its victims,” raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
Furthermore, the organization emphasized that “the U.S. is not engaged in any armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere which might justify these bombings.”
Amnesty International stated, “We are witnessing the height of lawlessness — a government taking military action to kill people who it unilaterally deems criminals or terrorists and then bragging about it on social media…”
Members of Congress continue to demand explanations and accountability from the government.
Amnesty International further argued that “regardless of whether the victims committed crimes or not, killing them is completely illegal under both U.S. and international law.”
Furthermore, the organization maintains that “alleged criminal suspects should be dealt with by law enforcement,” unless there is an imminent danger to human life.
Amnesty International continues to demand justice and accountability from the U.S. government.
The organization urged the public, and especially lawmakers and policymakers, to “do everything in their power to halt this campaign and hold everyone responsible accountable for their role in these extrajudicial killings.”
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Simple solution, don’t run drugs you won’t get attacked.
What about all the people who weren’t running drugs who still got hit? What about due process of law?