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See below for a press release, in which Sen. Tim Kaine presses Trump “on U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific and calling for accountability.” According to Sen. Kaine:
“My review of your directive, the OLC legal opinion, the EXORD, and the notifications of the boat strikes, makes clear that the United States is engaged in violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking,” Kaine continued. “They are murder victims.”
Exactly right, and there needs to be accountability for these crimes! Here’s the full press release from Sen. Tim Kaine’s office:
KAINE PRESSES PRESIDENT ON MILITARY STRIKES IN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC, CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, sent a letter to President Donald Trump pressing him on U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific and calling for accountability. The Trump-Vance Administration has not provided any legitimate legal justification for the military strikes or evidence to support its claims that the targeted vessels were narcotraffickers. It was recently reported that analysts from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found that the military strikes have had no impact on curbing the supply of cocaine to the U.S.
“To date, according to public reporting, the United States has engaged in more than 65 kinetic operations killing more than 220 people pursuant to your directive,” Kaine wrote. “I’ve reviewed these classified notifications to Congress pursuant to those attacks, which vary in detail but often include descriptions of the targets and their activities during the kinetic operations.”
“My review of your directive, the OLC legal opinion, the EXORD, and the notifications of the boat strikes, makes clear that the United States is engaged in violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking,” Kaine continued. “They are murder victims.”
“Adding to the deep concern over these illegal killings is the fact, recently confirmed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, that Operation Southern Spear has had no effect on the flow of illegal drugs into the United States,” Kaine concluded. “I ask that you closely examine the circumstances of these strikes, to ensure that you are personally aware of the extent to which the leadership of the Department of Defense has exceeded your July 2025 directive, incurring massive expense and operating with dubious legality, and with no progress towards your stated objective. And once you have done so, I urge you to halt this illegal, costly and ineffective operation.”
Kaine has led War Powers Resolutions to block the use of U.S. Armed Forces in the Caribbean and Pacific, but they have been blocked by Republicans. Kaine previously joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the Trump-Vance Administration on a September 2 military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea that reportedly killed all 11 passengers on board. Serious concerns have been raised about the possibility that those passengers included human trafficking victims.
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
Mr. President:
In late July 2025, you directed the Department of Defense to conduct kinetic operations to combat narcotrafficking operations in the Americas. You selected numerous organizations for targeting. That target list is classified so I cannot reveal it. Importantly, the classification of the list means that those you have asked the Department of Defense to target are entirely unaware that they are marked for execution.
In September 2025, the United States launched boat strikes in international waters in the Americas pursuant to your directive. A Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion issued in September 2025 provided legal support for such operations so long as they complied with specific factual conditions. That legal opinion (and the specific factual conditions) is classified. As a result, these conditions are also unknown to those being targeted.
A Department of Defense order implementing your July directive (the EXORD) was issued in October 2025. The EXORD contains targeting criteria that the Department of Defense should use in carrying out your kinetic operations directive. The EXORD and its targeting criteria are also classified.
To date, according to public reporting, the United States has engaged in more than 65 kinetic operations killing more than 220 people pursuant to your directive. I’ve reviewed these classified notifications to Congress pursuant to those attacks, which vary in detail but often include descriptions of the targets and their activities during the kinetic operations.
My review of your directive, the OLC legal opinion, the EXORD, and the notifications of the boat strikes, makes clear that the United States is engaged in violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the OLC opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted. In other words, a careful review of the available evidence suggests that the United States has killed individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking.
They are murder victims.
Adding to the deep concern over these illegal killings is the fact, recently confirmed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, that Operation Southern Spear has had no effect on the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
I ask that you closely examine the circumstances of these strikes, to ensure that you are personally aware of the extent to which the leadership of the Department of Defense has exceeded your July 2025 directive, incurring massive expense and operating with dubious legality, and with no progress towards your stated objective. And once you have done so, I urge you to halt this illegal, costly and ineffective operation.
Sincerely,
