Rep. García Joins More Than 70 Lawmakers Across the Americas Urging an End to U.S. Boat Strikes and Extrajudicial Killings

Washington, D.C. - In the first joint interparliamentary action of its kind, bringing together more than 70 legislators from 13 countries across the Americas, including the United States, and Puerto Rico, Representatives Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Summer Lee (PA-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) issued a statement calling for an immediate end to the United States government's attacks on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific, which have resulted in at least 234 extrajudicial killings. In addition, the signatories call for justice for the victims of the strikes and urge all other governments of the region to refrain from facilitating what amounts to violations of international law according to legal experts, human rights organizations, and current and former members of the United States armed forces.

The legislators note that the U.S. government itself has determined that these operations have not significantly reduced the flow of cocaine into the country. They note that the rights to life and due process, as well as guarantees against the arbitrary use of force, are fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law. They warn that accusations of drug trafficking, however serious, do not circumvent or override these protections. With the Trump administration having signaled that it plans on continuing these operations and extending them to land-based targets, the legislators announce their commitment to using their "legislative and oversight authorities to promote transparency and accountability surrounding these extrajudicial killings."

The full statement and the list of signatories are available here.

"Donald Trump is dropping bombs across the Caribbean and Pacific in blatant violation of the law and of fundamental human rights," said U.S. Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García. "This has done nothing to stop the flow of drugs or to make Americans safer. Instead, it has left hundreds dead, families devastated, and communities in fear. Let us call these attacks what they are: illegal extrajudicial killings. I'm proud to stand with legislators from across the hemisphere in opposing these grave crimes."

"In the face of institutional silence and government censorship in Ecuador, this coalition of parliamentarians across the Americas is essential to break the secrecy surrounding covert operations in our waters," said María Verónica Iñiguez Gallardo, Member of the National Assembly of Ecuador. "This transnational statement is a decisive step toward accountability and transparency for our peoples."

"The United States must end its attacks in the Caribbean and Pacific," said Iván Cepeda Castro, Senator from Colombia. "Combating drug trafficking cannot justify sacrificing human life and overriding international law. Latin America and the Caribbean must act together to defend our sovereignty and our region's right to peace, free from any power's claim to hemispheric domination."

"Donald Trump's bombing campaign in the Caribbean and Pacific is both criminal and cruel, and it has done nothing to make our region safer," said Don Davies, Member of the House of Commons of Canada. "Canadians understand what it means to have our sovereignty threatened by our neighbor to the South. That's why I stand in solidarity with people across the hemisphere in opposing these lawless killings."

The statement has been endorsed by the following organizations: Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Colombia Acuerdo de Paz NGO, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Alianza Americas, Witness at the Border, Minnesota Cuba Committee, The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society, Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas (CEDA), Mennonite Central Committee U.S., MADRE, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions, Andean Information Network.

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