A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds only 29% of Americans back using the U.S. military to kill suspected drug traffickers without judicial oversight, while 51% oppose it. The survey reveals a stark partisan split: most Republicans support the tactic, while roughly three-quarters of Democrats oppose it. The administration has ordered at least 20 strikes that Reuters says killed at least 79 people, drawing human rights condemnation and legal concerns. Public support is limited for unilateral military action in Venezuela to curb drug flows.
Most Americans Oppose Lethal Military Strikes on Drug Suspects, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Shows
A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds only 29% of Americans back using the U.S. military to kill suspected drug traffickers without judicial oversight, while 51% oppose it. The survey reveals a stark partisan split: most Republicans support the tactic, while roughly three-quarters of Democrats oppose it. The administration has ordered at least 20 strikes that Reuters says killed at least 79 people, drawing human rights condemnation and legal concerns. Public support is limited for unilateral military action in Venezuela to curb drug flows.
05:06 PM, 11/14/2025Politics
WASHINGTON — A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that just 29% of Americans support using the U.S. military to kill suspected drug traffickers without judicial oversight, while a majority — 51% — oppose such actions and the remainder are unsure.
Poll results and partisan divide
The survey showed a sharp partisan split: 58% of Republicans said they supported lethal military strikes against suspected traffickers, while 27% of Republicans opposed them and the rest were uncertain. Among Democrats, roughly three-quarters opposed the practice and about one in ten supported it.
Context: strikes, casualties and legal concerns
The Trump administration has ordered at least 20 military strikes in recent months against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America. Reuters reports those strikes have killed at least 79 people. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the strikes as illegal extrajudicial killings of civilians, and some U.S. allies have warned the actions may violate international law.
Sharp break with prior practice: Officials say the strikes mark a departure from the long-standing U.S. approach of using the Coast Guard to intercept maritime drug shipments and prosecute traffickers in court.
Venezuela and the broader buildup
The poll also asked whether the U.S. should use military force in Venezuela without that country's government consenting to curb illegal drugs; only 35% supported unilateral action. Respondents were less supportive of using U.S. forces to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (21%), though 31% backed non-military efforts to oust him.
U.S. military presence in the region has increased recently: the Navy’s Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group — carrying more than 5,000 personnel and dozens of aircraft — moved into the Caribbean, joining other warships, a nuclear submarine and deployed F-35 aircraft. The White House has framed the effort as part of a broader campaign against drug cartels and has publicly accused the Maduro government of colluding with traffickers, an allegation Maduro denies.
Poll methodology
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online with a nationally representative sample of 1,200 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
(Reporting by Jason Lange and Matt Spetalnick; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington)