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The President of Colombia has officially called for criminal proceedings against President Donald Trump over US military strikes targeting alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Over the past 30 days, the United States has carried out three known military strikes on boats in the Caribbean that it claims were engaged in drug trafficking operations. The Trump administration has justified the actions as part of an aggressive anti-narcotics campaign. These strikes are part of a significantly expanded US military presence in the region, involving eight warships and a submarine repositioned under US Southern Command to intensify efforts against the flow of drugs into the United States. However, Venezuelan officials, including Nicolás Maduro, have denounced the buildup, alleging it serves as a potential staging ground for an invasion aimed at destabilizing or toppling the Venezuelan government.

What’s going on now: During a speech at the United Nations, Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued a direct condemnation of the United States’ recent military actions in the Caribbean, calling for criminal proceedings against President Trump and other US officials responsible for the strikes. Petro accused the US of carrying out extrajudicial executions, claiming that the victims of the three attacks were not terrorists or drug traffickers, but rather “poor young people from Latin America” who were unarmed and desperate. He dismissed US claims that the individuals were linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, pointing instead to independent investigations that contradicted those assertions.

In his address, Petro challenged the credibility of the US narrative, accusing American officials of lying on the world stage to justify military aggression. “Was it really necessary to bomb unarmed, poor young people in the Caribbean?” he asked, calling the strikes a misuse of power that criminalizes poverty and migration. Petro’s remarks echoed the concerns of human rights groups, who have raised questions about the legality of the strikes and labeled them possible violations of international law. These organizations warn that such actions, absent clear evidence or due process, amount to extrajudicial killings.

According to US officials, the three military strikes (conducted on September 2, 15, and 19) killed a total of 22 individuals. Trump has defended the operations, stating that they were based on concrete intelligence indicating the vessels were transporting narcotics and linked to designated terrorist organizations. That designation is notable as it allows the US military to engage targets under expanded legal and operational authorities, essentially viewing them at the same level the US views ISIS or Al-Qaeda.

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