Democrats demand answers on Trump’s controversial Caribbean drug boat strikes

Democrats are pressing for more responses to President Donald Trump’s campaign against drug boats in the Caribbean as the number of attacks continues to rise and the sudden retirement announcement of the military commander overseeing U.S. operations in the region continues.

While Trump claims the strikes are necessary to “cover” drug traffickers and cartels and warns he will “destroy” them, lawmakers are increasingly demanding more oversight and evidence supporting the legality of the strikes.

As a result, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, is urging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bring the House back into session so the committee can hold a hearing on operations in Latin America and give the outgoing military commander an opportunity to testify.

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“President Trump and his Administration continue to fail to answer urgent questions regarding the President’s order to conduct deadly U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea,” Smith said in a statement Monday.

“They failed to demonstrate the legality of these attacks, provide transparency about the process used, or even show a list of cartels designated as terrorist organizations,” Smith said. “We have also yet to see any evidence to support the President’s unilateral determinations that these ships or their activities pose imminent threats to the United States that warrant military force rather than law enforcement-led interdiction.”

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to combating the flow of drugs into the United States, designating drug cartel groups such as Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.

Additionally, the White House sent a memo to lawmakers on Sept. 30 informing them that the United States was engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug traffickers and that the U.S. military had launched at least seven attacks on ships off the coast of Venezuela.

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On October 3, 2025, President Donald Trump launched a deadly attack on a boat suspected of drug smuggling, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said. (SecWar/X)

Meanwhile, the commander of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of ​​operations includes Caribbean waters where attacks on drug boats have been carried out, announced on Thursday that he will abruptly retire at the end of 2025.

In a highly unusual move, Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who became commander of SOUTHCOM in November 2024, said he would retire from the Navy in December. No reason was given for his sudden exit, and the Pentagon did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

But the New York Times reported on Thursday that Holsey had expressed concerns and questions about attacks on alleged drug vessels.

“In my 20-plus years on the committee, I cannot recall ever seeing a warfighter commander leave his post so early and amid so much turmoil,” Smith said. “Furthermore, I have never before seen such a staggering lack of transparency on the part of an Administration and Department to meaningfully inform Congress about the use of lethal military force.”

“It is time for House Republicans to return to the Capitol and negotiate with Democrats so we can all get back to work in the interest of our national security and national defense,” Smith said.

Parliament has been out of session since September and the government has since entered a partial shutdown due to funding cuts.

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Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth visits the Panama Canal on April 08, 2025 in Panama City, Panama. Panama Canal Manager Dr. Ricaurte Vasquez Morales welcomes Pete Hegseth. (Daniel Gonzalez/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Johnson’s spokesman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Smith isn’t the only one who wants more information about Trump’s war on drugs. Senate lawmakers, including some Republicans, are also pushing for more oversight of the strikes, raising the question of whether the strikes are legal as Trump weighs ground operations next.

On Friday, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Rand Paul, R-Ky., have introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit U.S. armed forces from participating in “hostilities” against Venezuela.

“The Trump administration has made clear that they may initiate military action within Venezuela’s borders and will not be limited to boat attacks in the Caribbean,” Schiff said Friday. he said.

“In recent weeks, we have seen an increasing number of alarming movements and reports refuting claims that this is only about stopping drug traffickers,” Schiff said. “Congress did not authorize military force against Venezuela. And we must defend our authority to stop the United States from being dragged, either intentionally or accidentally, into a full-fledged war in South America.”

Trump dismissed lawmakers’ concerns about the legality of the attacks, saying on October 14 that the alleged drug ships were “fair game” because they were “filled with drugs.”