Date: Sep 11, 2025
Dear LAWGista,
The Trump Administration has appointed itself judge, jury, and executioner.
On September 2, 2025, the administration did the unthinkable: they blew up a small boat off the coast of Venezuela, extrajudicially killing eleven people. The administration claims these individuals were “narco-terrorists” making a cocaine delivery to the United States, despite Venezuela not being known as a major drug trafficking hub.
With this attack, Trump is claiming the power to kill anyone, anywhere, without trial or due process.
But let’s be absolutely clear: this was a criminal act in direct violation of international human rights law. His terrorist designation of the Tren de Aragua gang doesn’t give him a license to kill, and the courts have already slapped down his Venezuelan policies as illegal—just last week, the 5th Circuit struck down his deportation of Venezuelans to CECOT prison in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
This vile attack has profound moral and legal ramifications. Writing about the broader consequences for U.S. foreign policy in Latin America, Michael Fox explained it best:
“It should shock the country that the United States would carry out an illegal targeted assassination of 11 people in international waters, and that the president would share a video of it freely over his social media account. In particular, we should worry about an act that rewrites U.S. policy for Latin America, where Trump has carte blanche to take whatever measure he deems necessary without regard for international law, the sovereignty of other nations, or people’s lives. Such a move could have disastrous implications for the region. More missile strikes. Loss of innocent lives.”
And this is just the start. Trump has already boasted on social media that “There’s more where that came from,” while his Secretary of Defense echoed the threat. What’s more, reports suggest Puerto Rico could become his military launching pad for attacks on alleged traffickers—or even to topple Venezuelan President Maduro. We’re staring down a return to the darkest days of U.S. military intervention in Latin America.
Trump’s “shoot first, ask questions later” approach is as much a threat here in the United States as it is overseas. He is already targeting our immigrant neighbors, who are being hunted by ICE raids and National Guard sweeps across the country. He could easily turn these extrajudicial executions on political opponents or anyone he brands a “terrorist.” Don’t forget—he wanted to unleash force on George Floyd protesters during his first term.
Congress must condemn these murders immediately and reclaim its constitutional authority over American military action. Our democracy, international law, and basic human decency are all on the line. Call your elected officials today!
Adelante,
Vicki Gass
LAWG Executive Director
