Sen. Tim Kaine told the White House that U.S. military strikes on alleged drug‑smuggling boats likely exceeded the scope of President Trump’s classified "execute order" and may have killed people not involved in narcotrafficking. The maritime campaign, known as Operation Southern Spear, began last September in the Pacific and Caribbean and has been linked to at least 218 deaths, according to ABC News. The Pentagon has spent more than $820 million on the effort; Defense officials maintain the strikes are lawful, while Kaine cites classified DOJ guidance and briefings suggesting the targets went beyond legally permissible criteria.
Kaine Says U.S. Boat Strikes May Have Killed Non‑Traffickers, Exceeding Trump’s 'Execute Order'
Bloomberg via Getty Images - PHOTO: Vance, House GOP Push Ahead On Politically Risky Iran War Funds
Sen. Tim Kaine (D‑Va.) has told the White House that U.S. military strikes against alleged drug‑smuggling vessels likely exceeded the scope of President Donald Trump’s classified "execute order" and may have killed people who were not involved in narcotrafficking.
Kaine, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he reviewed classified targeting guidance and related briefings provided to Congress. Based on that review, he concluded the military did not consistently follow the targeting criteria set out in the president’s order.
Key passages from Kaine’s letter
"You selected numerous organizations for targeting," Kaine wrote, noting the list is classified and cannot be made public. He warned that, because the list is secret, those designated for strikes are unaware they have been marked for execution.
The strikes are part of a counternarcotics campaign — publicly referred to by the Defense Department as Operation Southern Spear — that began last September in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Media tallies attribute at least 218 deaths to the campaign, according to an ABC News count, and a recent inspector general report says the Pentagon has spent more than $820 million on the effort.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social - PHOTO: President Trump announced on his social media platform, Sept. 2, 2025, that he ordered U.S. military forces to conduct "a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has strongly defended the strikes, arguing they are lawful under domestic and international law. Secretary of State Marco Rubio similarly told a Senate hearing that the Defense Department assessed the operations' legality and relied on available intelligence in making targeting decisions.
President Trump has publicly announced and discussed the campaign on Truth Social. One post cited by briefings shows he ordered "a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility." Trump also claimed on the platform that "98.2% Of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED!" — a figure for which independent evidence has not been provided in the materials Kaine cited.
Kaine said his review included a Justice Department legal memorandum and other classified materials. He wrote that those documents make clear U.S. forces have carried out "violent and fatal attacks against people far beyond those whom the [legal] opinion claimed could be lawfully targeted," and added that some individuals struck in the campaign, in his view, "are murder victims."
The senator urged additional oversight and transparency to ensure strikes follow lawful targeting criteria and to prevent further deaths of people who are not engaged in narcotrafficking.
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