In a landmark legal challenge, the families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in a US military operation have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the United States government. The case, lodged in a Massachusetts federal court, centers on the October 14th missile strike that killed six individuals aboard a vessel in the Caribbean.
The plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), allege that the US government unlawfully targeted and killed Chad Joseph (26) and Rishi Samaroo (41) without justification. The lawsuit invokes both the Death on the High Seas Act and the Alien Tort Statute, seeking to establish legal accountability for what they characterize as extrajudicial killings.
This legal action directly challenges the Trump administration’s justification that such military operations fall within the scope of an armed conflict against designated narcoterrorist organizations. The administration has previously asserted that drug cartels represent a non-international armed conflict scenario, thereby legitimizing the use of lethal force.
However, the lawsuit contends there exists no such armed conflict, rendering the laws of war inapplicable. It further argues that the victims were not affiliated with drug cartels but were merely returning to Trinidad from Venezuela where they had been engaged in fishing and agricultural work.
The case has drawn attention to the broader US military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which has reportedly resulted in at least 125 fatalities since September. Notably, the Trinidad and Tobago government has expressed support for these operations, with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar previously endorsing violent measures against those involved in illegal drug trafficking.
The plaintiffs seek punitive damages while emphasizing their primary goal of establishing legal accountability for what they describe as ‘lawless killings in cold blood.’