Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Saturday that another strike in the Caribbean killed three people, marking the latest in the Trump administration’s campaign against what it calls “narco-terrorists.” The operation, part of a broader military initiative targeting alleged drug traffickers, has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and civil rights advocates who accuse the administration of carrying out “extrajudicial killings.”
“You are nothing but a ‘hit man’ for Trump,” wrote X user Jennie M. Reed, a frequent critic of the administration. “Nothing more.”
According to officials, U.S. forces have killed at least 64 people in the region in recent weeks. The administration claims the targets were involved in drug trafficking to the United States, but many of those killed have not been publicly identified, and evidence linking them to narcotics operations has not been released.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) joined Democrats in condemning the actions, arguing that the administration is engaging in illegal executions without due process. “Trump, Hegseth, and senior military commanders murdered 3 more people last night and the homicides near 100 people, and they expect you to take their word for it that they were transporting drugs and accept it,” wrote former federal prosecutor Ron Filipkowski on X. “They murder whoever they want whenever they want.”
The controversy comes as tensions escalate between the United States and Venezuela. The Trump administration has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group near the country’s shores, claiming Venezuela plays a key role in narcotics trafficking. But U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that “little to none” of the fentanyl entering the U.S. originates from Venezuela and that several vessels targeted by U.S. strikes likely lacked the range to reach American territory.
Critics argue the operations amount to political theater ahead of the upcoming election. “Another day, another extrajudicial killing by a wannabe dictator and his drunk secretary of war,” wrote X user Endri Bejte, referencing past allegations that Hegseth abused alcohol.
As the death toll rises, legal scholars and human rights groups are calling for investigations into whether the U.S. government is violating international law. The administration, however, maintains that the strikes are justified national security actions against criminal organizations threatening American lives.