Washington, September 2, 2026 – One year has passed since the Trump administration launched its campaign targeting civilians in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. That campaign has killed hundreds of individuals without due process or, as the administration admits, even an effort to identify the victims.
Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) joined over 40 organizations in sending a letter that urged Congress to halt the strikes, defund the campaign, and investigate and hold accountable any individuals responsible.
It’s been one year of U.S. murder on the high seas with no accountability for the civilian victims and their families — nor to the American public, who remains in the dark about who the U.S. is targeting and why,” said Annie Shiel, U.S. Advocacy Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict. “The stakes are extraordinarily high: families across the region may never know what happened to their loved ones, while the president is asserting that he can kill anyone he accuses of a crime, anywhere in the world, without due process. Congress cannot allow this lawless campaign to continue a single day more. Lawmakers must pass legislation refusing to fund these strikes, demand basic transparency about the strikes, and pursue accountability for those killed.
These strikes will be viewed in the same reprehensible light as the U.S. government’s torture of people in Guantánamo Bay or use of napalm in Vietnam,” said Eric Eikenberry, Government Relations Director at Win Without War. “The lack of accountability for those and other grotesque human rights violations has helped set the stage for the current administration’s violence. Congress must end these extrajudicial killings and hold their architects accountable — otherwise, Trump, his officials, and others will only be emboldened to push the bounds of lawlessness even further.
For one year, the U.S. military has carried out a campaign of extrajudicial killings at sea that has left more than 225 people dead,” said Amanda Klasing, National Director for Government Relations & Advocacy at Amnesty International USA. “For just as long, we have called on Congress to take meaningful action to stop these killings, which are illegal under both international and U.S. law. How many more people will be killed at sea from this administration’s illegal actions before Congress does its job? The time to act is now.
For additional information or media inquiries, please contact:
- CIVIC’s Global Media Team: [email protected]
Spokespersons available for interviews in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic
