ACLU announces court arguments demanding Trump admin release legal justification for deadly 'boat strikes' killing 210+ civilians

The American Civil Liberties Union and Center for Constitutional Rights announced they will argue a FOIA lawsuit on June 24, 2026, demanding the Trump administration release a secret Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel memo justifying ongoing military strikes on civilian boats in the Eastern Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. The strikes have killed at least 210 people. The ACLU argues the strikes are 'flagrantly illegal' under both U.S. and international law, as they use military force to kill civilians suspected only of crimes. The Trump administration has refused to release any records explaining the legal basis for the lethal strikes, violating FOIA. Families of victims, including Trinidadian men killed in strikes, have filed wrongful death lawsuits.

"Under both U.S. and international law, it is flagrantly illegal to use the military to kill civilians suspected only of crimes." — ACLU statement on the Trump administration's boat strike policy