US Military Boat Strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific
US Military Boat Strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific  
Podcast: It Could Happen Here
Published On: Mon Sep 28 2026
Description: Carlos Berríos Polanco discusses the United States’ yearlong campaign of extrajudicial killing through boat strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific, how the Trump Administration set the foundation for the campaign since its first day in office, and the victims of these strikes.   Sources:  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/29/us/us-caribbean-pacific-boat-strikes.html  https://airwars.org/boat-strikes-latin-america  https://media.defense.gov/2026/May/21/2003935694/-1/-1/1/OSS_Q2_MAR2026_FINAL_508.PDF  https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4563958/us-southern-command-establishes-joint-task-force-western-hemisphere/  https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/08/06/southcom-replaces-southern-spear-with-western-hemisphere-task-force-targeting-criminal-networks/  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/designating-cartels-and-other-organizations-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-and-specially-designated-global-terrorists/  https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2-trinis-killed-in-latest-us-strike-6.2.2425256.22ffca949f  https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-07-20/us-drone-attacks-mexico-drug-boats  https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-boat-strikes-drugs-cocaine-trafficking-95b54a3a5efec74f12f82396a79617ea  https://www.nacion.com/el-mundo/costa-rica-recibe-dos-cuerpos-y-sobreviviente-de/NICWT53FXRAP3JACIU3HJAJVTU/story/  https://www.wola.org/analysis/killing-spree-extrajudicial-executions-in-the-u-s-boat-strikes-campaign/ https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/terrorism/sr-ct-briefing-note-targeting-narco-terrori.pdf  https://www.elclip.org/los-bombardeados-sin-derecho-a-la-defensa/  https://www.elclip.org/bombardeados-sin-derecho-defensa-comando-sur-victimas-caribe-pacifico/  https://www.elclip.org/victimas-comando-sur-bombardeos-caribe-guajira/  https://www.elclip.org/los-bombardeos-un-rompecabezas-al-que-le-faltan-muchas-piezas/  https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/22/drug-boats-strikes-cia-legal-concerns/  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua/  https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/12/us/el-salvador-torture-of-venezuelan-deportees  https://insightcrime.org/venezuela-organized-crime-news/cartel-de-los-soles-profile/  https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/trump-venezuela-drug-cartel-de-los-soles.html  http://thehill.com/policy/defense/5162069-pentagon-officers-fired/  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/us/politics/trump-justice-dept-ousters.html https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/21/us-strikes-caribbean-cia-role  https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-05-26/the-cia-crash-that-opened-a-fraught-month-in-mexicous-relations.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/12/trump-drug-boat-venezuela-legal/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/25/trump-caribbean-boat-strikes-memo  https://insightcrime.org/news/why-is-us-attacking-cartels-that-dont-exist/  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2025.2502924  https://en.unav.edu/web/global-affairs/argumentos-y-dudas-en-la-guerra-abierta-por-eeuu-contra-el-narcoterrorismo  https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29899  https://www.justsecurity.org/121115/united-states-dirty-war-narcoterrorism/  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/07/27/operation-southern-spear-has-not-slowed-cocaine-entering-us/  https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/juan-orlando-hernandez-former-president-honduras-sentenced-45-years-prison-conspiring  https://www.wola.org/analysis/juan-orlando-hernandez-pardon-implications-for-u-s-foreign-policy/  https://theintercept.com/2025/11/07/trump-dto-list-venezuela-boat-strikes/  https://www.justsecurity.org/52343/reasonable-certainty-vs-near-certainty-military-targeting-what-law-requires/  https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/02/19/wedding-became-funeral/us-drone-attack-marriage-procession-yemen  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/world/americas/us-ecuador-drug-camp-bombing-dairy-farm.html  https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-iran-school-attack/  https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session63/a-hrc-63-61-aev.pdf  https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/review-of-the-fy27-state-department-budget-request   https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/02/kaine-paul-rubio-trump-drug-boat-strike-justification-latin-america/  https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/  https://theintercept.com/2025/12/05/boat-strike-survivors-double-tap/  https://theintercept.com/2025/12/23/boat-strikes-venezuela-hegseth-bradley-legal/  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/us/politics/boat-strike-shows-survivors.html  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/us/politics/us-boat-attacks-law.html  https://theintercept.com/2026/06/10/trump-boat-strikes-human-trafficking-victims/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ob469Cr7U&t=8s  https://www.rtvcnoticias.com/colombia/caribe/confirman-muerte-de-pescador-colombiano-en-bombardeos-estadounidenses  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/briefing/the-effects-of-the-boat-strikes.html  https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2025/12/03/cidh-recibe-primera-denuncia-contra-operativos-militares-de-ee-uu-en-el-caribe-por-parte-de-la-familia-de-un-pescador-colombiano/  https://x.com/CNC3TV/status/1978838103222628834  https://www.elclip.org/victimas-guiria-bombardeos-comando-sur-trump-caribe/?lang=en  https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/no-justice-yet-for-chad-joseph-after-us-strike-6.2.2476227.31df119986  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72191479/45/burnley-v-united-states/  https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/fishermen-s-us-strike-death-lawsuit-awaits-local-court-hearing/article_20ec9021-6388-4d33-acc4-7e73f044f3a1.html  https://abcnews.com/Politics/week-transcript-12-14-25-sen-mark-warner/story?id=128378685  https://www.elclip.org/interdiccion-maritima-cocaina-jiatfs-dea-vs-bombardeos-comando-sur/  https://colombiaone.com/2025/09/03/colombia-seizes-cocaine-dr/  https://x.com/jiatfs/status/2103187969096003585  https://x.com/jiatfs/status/2086902740387865015  https://x.com/jiatfs/status/2102490082024235340/photo/1  https://x.com/Southcom/status/2097475163658883493  https://x.com/Southcom/status/2095666992779059404  https://x.com/Southcom/status/2096376737458487609  https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115136798909755892  https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115210075167747572  https://x.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503  https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115373751811822463  https://elpais.com/america/2025-10-20/ecuador-libera-a-uno-de-los-sobrevivientes-al-ataque-de-estados-unidos-al-narcosubmarino-en-el-caribe.html  https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-strike-caribbean-trump-fentanyl-colombia-venezuela-0f8f1c004064857046398b388ddb8df5  https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2025-11-04/el-colombiano-que-sobrevivio-al-ataque-de-estados-unidos-a-un-narcosubmarino-sale-del-hospital-libre-y-sin-cargos.html  https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-07/one-of-the-two-survivors-of-trumps-caribbean-bombings-dad-i-would-have-been-better-off-dead.html  https://theintercept.com/2026/02/17/boat-strike-trump-southcom-survivors-rescue-plane-hours/  https://www.univision.com/shows/noticiero-univision/pescadores-ecuatorianos-denuncian-haber-sido-atacados-por-fuerzas-de-eeuu-video?utm_campaign=PrimerImpacto&utm_content=sprout&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/rare-survivors-of-pacific-boat-strikes https://es.mongabay.com/2026/05/pescadores-ecuatorianos-victimas-desaparicion-detencion-arbitraria-tortura-ee-uu-denuncian-expertos/  https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/an-ecuadorian-fishing-boat-disappears-amid-trumps-strikes-in-the-pacific  https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-08-13/hegseth-says-colombia-has-authorized-us-military-operations-on-its-territory-to-combat-narco-terrorism.html  https://www.southcom.mil/News/PressReleases/Article/4420523/ecuadorian-and-us-military-forces-launch-operations-against-narco-terrorists/  https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-operations-latin-american-western-hemisphere-a1fccf4414e44341d3dbd54e19ae1ba4  https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/09/joint-statement-on-defending-hemispheric-sovereignty  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-hegseth-miller-urge-latin-american-allies-to-be-more-aggressive-against-drug-cartels  https://www.elheraldo.co/colombia/2025/10/19/vinculan-a-colombiano-que-murio-en-ataque-de-ee-uu-con-escandalo-de-robo-masivo-de-armas-en-2016/  https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar250902a-september-2-2025 https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar250915a-september-15-2025  https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar251003a-october-3-2025  https://airwars.org/incidents/usmar251014a-october-14-2025  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.