Families challenge US missile attack at sea
Families of two men killed in a US missile strike near Venezuela have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Trump administration. The case argues the strike was unlawful and wrongly targeted a civilian boat.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Boston. It marks the first legal challenge tied to US missile attacks on boats suspected of drug trafficking under President Donald Trump.
Victims were returning home, lawsuit says
The men killed were Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, both from Trinidad. According to court filings, they worked in fishing and farming while in Venezuela and were heading back home when the strike happened on October 14.
Six people died in that attack. The families say the men were civilians and had no link to armed activity or drug trafficking.
Their lawyers argue the strike was part of a broader military campaign that unlawfully targeted civilian vessels in international waters.
Legal action seeks accountability, not policy changes
Civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights, filed the case. They used two laws, the Death on the High Seas Act and the Alien Tort Statute, which allow families of foreign nationals to sue the US government in limited cases.
The lawsuit seeks financial damages only. It does not ask the court to block future strikes. Still, it could force a judge to review whether the October strike followed US and international law.
White House defends strike as anti drug action
The White House pushed back against the claims. A spokesperson said the strike targeted narcotics traffickers and was part of a broader effort to stop drugs from reaching the United States.
The administration has described the campaign as a fight against drug cartels. It says the operations comply with the law of armed conflict.
Since September, US strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have killed at least 126 people, according to defense officials. Some deaths were presumed after search efforts ended.
Lawmakers and rights groups raise concerns
The missile campaign has drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans. Congress has not approved military force against drug cartels. Legal experts also argue that drug trafficking groups do not meet the international definition of armed forces.
The lawsuit claims the killings happened outside any armed conflict. It says the men posed no threat to the US and were not engaged in hostilities.
If the court agrees, the deaths could be ruled unlawful under both US maritime law and international human rights standards.
