On September 2, the U.S. military fired on and destroyed a boat suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing 11 individuals believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington would continue to adopt a hardline approach in the fight against drug cartels. "For years, the U.S. has gathered intelligence to intercept drug vessels, but this method hasn’t been effective. The only way to stop them is to blow them up and destroy them," Rubio said.
Analysts suggest that while the move demonstrates the U.S.'s determination, it also marks a significant escalation in how it deals with Latin American criminal organizations. "The U.S. is reusing the concept of the War on Terror for new targets. Now they say terrorism is in the Caribbean, in America’s backyard, and it's the drug traffickers," said Brian Finucane, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group. This campaign appears to stem from President Trump's first term, during which he considered bombing drug production facilities in Mexico.
Shortly after Trump’s return to the White House in January, the U.S. government added several Latin American cartels to its list of "foreign terrorist organizations." However, experts argue that this does not give the U.S. President the authority to take unilateral military action.
Finucane sees the September 2 attack as part of an effort to "change public perception" of Latin American criminal gangs. Once considered profit-driven criminals, these groups are now portrayed as foreign organizations destabilizing U.S. national security.
This narrative mirrors Trump’s description of illegal immigrants as "dangerous violent criminals," which helped justify the deployment of National Guard troops and federal agents to cities across the U.S. According to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), the U.S. President can use "necessary and appropriate force" against entities or individuals behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
However, experts argue that the AUMF doesn’t apply to the Tren de Aragua cartel, even if the U.S. government designates it a terrorist group.
The U.S. Constitution grants the power to declare war to the President, allowing military force to be used against "belligerents," not criminal suspects. "Drug suspects cannot be considered belligerents or enemies of the U.S. in war. If they are not subject to wartime law, they are civilians. Targeting civilians is a war crime," Finucane explained.
Finucane also criticized the U.S. for using military power "showily and without justification" to address law enforcement issues. "For decades, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard have coordinated to intercept boats and arrest suspected traffickers, then prosecute them. This time, they didn’t. Blowing up a boat without investigation or search was unnecessary," he said.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accused the Tren de Aragua cartel of trying to "poison America" with drugs. He confirmed the U.S. had identified the individuals aboard the boat but did not provide further details about the attack. He also said the group was attempting to smuggle drugs into the U.S.
However, Rubio later stated that the targeted boat was heading toward Trinidad and Tobago and that "nothing would stop them, except sinking the boat and eliminating the drug traffickers." The discrepancy in statements from senior U.S. officials remains unclear.
Experts suggest that drug cartels are not the only target of the U.S. campaign. "I think they want to send a stronger signal to governments in the region, particularly Mexico," said Nathan Jones, a drug policy researcher at the Baker Institute for Public Policy in Texas.
Jones noted that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has recently had to balance cooperation with the U.S. and the protection of national sovereignty. In August, Sheinbaum declared that Mexico would "not allow any incursions" by the U.S., following reports that Trump had authorized military strikes against Latin American cartels.
The day after the boat attack, Rubio met with Sheinbaum in Mexico, and the two agreed to increase cooperation to combat drug cartels. "They don’t want U.S. military actions on their soil. So, they will take positive steps to show the Trump administration that Mexico is doing everything it can to address the issue," Jones said.