Pentagon Reportedly Sought To Ensure Survivors Of Strikes Against Alleged Drug Boats Were Sent Outside The U.S. To Avoid Justifying Military Campaign

The Pentagon sought to ensure that survivors of strikes against alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific were sent outside the U.S. to avoid having to justify the Trump administration's strategy before the courts, according to a new report.

The New York Times detailed that Pentagon lawyers at one point suggested the survivors be sent to an infamous prison in El Salvador, where hundreds of Venezuelans were taken earlier in the Trump administration.

State Department officials rejected the idea, and survivors ended up being sent to their home countries in Ecuador and Colombia. Weeks later, Pentagon officials formally conveyed the message that any survivors should be effectively sent to their home countries or to third ones, but not stay in the U.S.

In another passage of the piece, the outlet noted that Pentagon officials kept State Department counterparts in the dark about the campaign, but then sought their help to deal with survivors.

Having the survivors face U.S. courts could undermine arguments about the legality of the strikes, Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer, told the outlet.

"From the administration's point of view, there are good reasons to be averse to bringing survivors to Guantánamo Bay or to the continental United States," he claimed.

The Trump administration is also taking heat for finishing off survivors of another strike in September. In fact, Congress is considering a provision that would limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's travel budget unless he turns over unedited video of the strikes.

A revised version of the annual defense policy bill released Sunday would restrict Hegseth's fiscal 2026 travel funds to "not more than 75%" until the videos are provided to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, as NBC News reports.

The inquiry centers on two strikes conducted hours apart on Sept. 2. The White House has said that the first strike left survivors and that a second was ordered by Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley, then leading Joint Special Operations Command, based on intelligence confirming the group were legitimate targets. A written statement from an administration official said a uniformed judge advocate general provided legal guidance "every step of the way."