US lawmakers challenge legality of Caribbean strikes

A group of senior Democratic lawmakers has called on former President Donald Trump to disclose the legal and operational basis for recent U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean Sea, which they say were carried out without congressional authorization and with little transparency.

In a sharply worded letter, five high-ranking House Democrats demanded that Trump immediately release the list of organizations his administration designated as terrorist groups and explain the criteria used to label them as such. They argue that the administration launched lethal strikes on drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean under the premise that these cartels were acting as non-state armed groups engaged in armed conflict against the United States.

The lawmakers, Gregory Meeks, Adam Smith, Jim Himes, Jamie Raskin, and Bennie Thompson, represent the ranking members of several key committees, including Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, Intelligence, Judiciary, and Homeland Security. In their letter, they warned that military action without congressional oversight raises serious constitutional concerns.

“Congress alone has the authority to declare war or authorize the use of force,” the letter stated. “The administration has failed to provide the legal framework or intelligence to justify these strikes, nor has it clarified under what authority drug trafficking organizations have been treated as enemy combatants.”

The letter comes in response to Trump’s decision to authorize four lethal military strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, which the administration claimed were affiliated with unnamed designated terrorist organizations.

The representatives acknowledged the severity of the drug crisis in the U.S. but insisted that military solutions are neither effective nor lawful in this context without proper oversight.

On Wednesday, the Republican-led Senate blocked a Democratic measure that would have barred Trump from continuing such strikes without express approval from Congress. The vote fell narrowly at 51 to 48.

The lawmakers also requested that Trump release the Department of Justice legal opinion underpinning the strikes, which they say has remained classified and unexplained.

“The President’s powers under Article II of the Constitution are substantial,” the letter said, “but they are not absolute.”

They concluded by urging Trump to provide the requested information without delay.

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