by A.J. Nichols

Since early September, the U.S. administration has initiated strikes on boats trying to enter the U.S. through the Caribbean, alleging they were carrying numerous drugs.

The initial strike on September 2 sank a speedboat the U.S. said was smuggling drugs. Eleven people aboard died, and an alleged second strike was ordered to kill survivors, according to reports.

Dominic Hummel is a senior at Bellbrook High School and has taken an advanced placement U.S. government and politics class here at BHS. “It’s terrible that people died, but I think that if it was linked to an international drug smuggling terrorist group, then it could’ve been justified,” Hummel said.

In one widely reported incident, Dominican authorities said they recovered about 1,000 kg of cocaine from the wreckage of a destroyed speedboat, saying the U.S. Navy and Dominican forces worked together.

The U.S. government says it’s targeting drug trafficking to protect U.S. communities. Opponents argue that military strikes on vessels outside declared war zones may have violated international law. The evidence connecting these boats to trafficking hasn’t been fully made public. Some struck vessels may have contained civilians or fishermen, not criminals.

President Donald Trump has publicly supported the strikes, portraying them as part of a broad effort to combat drug trafficking and “narco-terrorism” that threatens the United States. Administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have described drug networks as akin to terrorist organizations and justified lethal military action.