The New York City Bar Association has issued an extraordinary statement accusing President Donald Trump of authorizing what it calls “illegal summary executions” on the high seas, urging Congress to formally investigate whether his recent military strikes against Venezuelan vessels amount to murder under U.S. and international law.
In a statement released October 6, 2025, the association said Trump ordered U.S. forces to carry out air and missile strikes on three Venezuelan-flagged private boats in September and a fourth on October 3, killing at least 21 civilians and severely damaging or sinking the vessels. The attacks, the Bar said, were “unlawful summary executions prohibited by both U.S. and international law.”
Trump: boats filled with “terrorists” and narcotraffickers”
Trump has justified the strikes by claiming, without providing evidence, that the boats were operated by “terrorists” and “narcotraffickers.” His administration has argued the operations fall under his authority to combat “narco-terrorism” and protect national security.
However, the Bar Association countered that even if the crews were involved in smuggling, the Constitution and long-standing U.S. law require arrest and trial, not execution from the sky. “There is neither a lawful nor factual justification to engage our armed forces to use lethal force in international waters in the absence of lawful armed conflict or self-defense,” the association’s Military Affairs and International Law Committees wrote.
At least 21 killed, no U.S. casualties
According to reports cited by international observers and the Venezuelan government, the September and October strikes killed fishermen and small-scale traders operating near the Caribbean island of La Tortuga. The U.S. has released no evidence of cartel connections or hostile actions by the targeted vessels. Venezuelan officials claim the death toll could exceed 30, calling the attacks “acts of piracy and state terrorism.”
The Trump administration has defended the campaign. It says it’s a broader anti-cartel effort in the Caribbean, pointing to what it calls a new “armed conflict” with transnational drug organizations. According to TIME Magazine, the White House said, “The President acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country.” It added, “and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats.”
Boat strikes: “illegal summary executions — murders”
But experts say that rationale fails the legal test. Under both the U.S. Constitution and international law, Congress, not the president, must authorize acts of war. The 1973 War Powers Resolution and Article I of the Constitution strictly limit presidential use of force to cases of congressional authorization or self-defense. Neither condition applies here, the Bar noted.
The association urged lawmakers to take immediate steps to stop future strikes and reaffirm the limits of executive war powers. It also cited violations of the United Nations and Organization of American States charters, both of which bar the use of force against member nations except in self-defense or when approved by the U.N. Security Council. Because the Venezuelan vessel attacks were “unauthorized and unlawful,” the Bar concluded, they “were illegal summary executions — murders.”
If Congress fails to intervene, the group warned, future presidents could exploit Trump’s precedent to use the U.S. military. The question of whether a U.S. president committed murder is no longer rhetorical. It’s now a matter of congressional oversight, and possibly, international justice.
Published: Oct 8, 2025 05:20 pm