Families of two Trinidadian men killed in a US missile strike near Venezuela have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, marking the first legal challenge to the Trump administration’s campaign against suspected drug boats.
Families of two men killed in a US missile strike on a suspected drug boat near Venezuela have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging the deaths were the result of an unlawful military campaign targeting civilian vessels. The case was filed in a federal court in Boston, according to court documents.
The lawsuit concerns Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, Trinidadian nationals who were among six people killed during an October 14 strike. Relatives said the men worked as fishermen and farmers in Venezuela and were returning home to Las Cuevas, Trinidad, when their boat was hit.
“These are lawless killings in cold blood; killings for sport and killings for theatre, which is why we need a court of law to proclaim what is true and constrain what is lawless,” said Baher Azmy of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the case alongside the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Trump administration, under President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has described the strikes as part of a war against drug cartels and said they comply with international law. However, the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, as critics question whether the operations fall outside an authorised armed conflict.