U.S. seeks dismissal of lawsuit over deadly boat strikes

By Brett Rowland
The Center Square

The U.S. government moved Friday to dismiss a lawsuit brought by families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. military boat strike, arguing the federal court lacks jurisdiction without addressing whether the killings were lawful.

The lawsuit, filed in January in federal court in Boston, stems from an Oct. 14, 2025, strike that killed Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo as they traveled by boat from Venezuela to their homes in Trinidad.

U.S. Southern Command has reported at least 200 people killed in 62 strikes against suspected drug boats since the strikes began in September 2025.

In its motion to dismiss, the Justice Department argued the case should be thrown out on procedural grounds. Government lawyers said the families filed in the wrong court, lack standing because they have not been formally appointed as representatives of the men’s estates and relied on the wrong statute in bringing their claims.

The filing does not address the legality of the strike itself. If the case is dismissed, a court may never reach the underlying question of whether the military campaign complies with U.S. and international law unless the families successfully refile.

The cost of the operation remains unclear. American Enterprise Institute defense expert Elaine McCusker estimated in December 2025 that the campaign had cost nearly $1 billion after 25 strikes. A Department of War official told The Center Square in April that total operational costs would be calculated after the operation concludes.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that each boat destroyed saves 25,000 American lives from drug overdoses, though he has not publicly provided evidence supporting that figure.

The families of Joseph and Samaroo say the two men were fishermen who had been working on farms in Venezuela and were returning home to Trinidad when a U.S. missile struck their boat, killing all six people aboard. Joseph, 26, left behind a common-law wife and three young children. Samaroo, 41, had recently been released from prison and was returning home to care for his ill mother, according to court documents.

Their families say neither man had ties to drug cartels.

The strikes, conducted under Operation Southern Spear, the U.S. military’s counter-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, have drawn criticism from Democrats, human rights groups and some Republicans.

Congress failed to pass a measure requiring Trump to secure congressional authorization before launching strikes on suspected drug boats.

Amnesty International USA has called the strikes murders. The Trump administration says the military is targeting narcoterrorists smuggling drugs bound for America.

Provisional CDC data shows about 69,973 drug overdose deaths for the 12 months ending in December 2025, a 13.9% decline from the previous year.

Even if the lawsuit is dismissed, the government’s filing notes that the statute of limitations does not expire until October 2027. That could allow the families to refile if they obtain formal estate appointments in Trinidad.

The Pentagon said it had nothing further to provide when asked about the cost of the operation.

The Justice Department, the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represent the families, did not immediately respond to requests for comment after business hours on Friday.