A U.S. federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to surrender a classified September 2025 Justice Department memo justifying lethal military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. Since September 2025, "Operation Southern Spear" has conducted over 70 strikes, resulting in at least 234 deaths.
Challenging "Secret Law"
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer rejected the government’s claims of attorney-client and deliberative-process privilege, noting that the Pentagon has adopted the memo as "working law" to govern its maritime campaigns. The court gave the administration 14 days to submit the document for private review to determine if it should be released publicly.
Legal and Human Rights Concerns
Critics and legal scholars argue the strikes constitute extrajudicial killings, as the military is not permitted to target individuals not posing an imminent threat of violence. While the administration claims the strikes target "narco-terrorist" networks, the U.S. is not currently in an armed conflict in these regions, leading the UN to raise concerns over potential violations of international human rights law.
Sources
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