By Kavita Mistry 
U.S. President Trump authorises military strikes on drug-carrying boats from Venezuela, sparking debate over executive authority and legality
U.S. President Donald Trump says the U.S. military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel.
“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the strike.
“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels pose a threat to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests,” he added.
The strike that Mr. Trump says was carried out Monday (September 15, 2025) came two weeks after another military strike on what the Trump administration says was a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela that killed 11.
The Trump administration justified the earlier strike as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.
But several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, have indicated dissatisfaction with the administration’s rationale and questioned the legality of the action. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority, in part by using the military for law enforcement purposes.