Exclusive: US Returning Caribbean Strike Survivors to Colombia and Ecuador, Trump Says

Exclusive: US Returning Caribbean Strike Survivors to Colombia and Ecuador, Trump Says

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States will begin repatriating survivors of a deadly Caribbean strike to their home countries, Colombia and Ecuador, after what he described as a “successful but tragic operation” targeting suspected cartel-linked vessels in international waters.

In an exclusive interview with reporters at the White House, Trump said the survivors, identified as citizens of Colombia and Ecuador, were “being treated humanely” and would be “safely returned” within days.

“We’re working closely with both governments,” Trump said. “These were dangerous people on a dangerous mission. Some didn’t make it, and some did, and now we’re sending them back where they came from.”

The announcement follows last week’s strike on what U.S. defense officials described as a “narco-maritime convoy” operating in the eastern Caribbean. The incident, which reportedly left more than a dozen dead, has drawn scrutiny from human rights groups and Latin American governments, some of which have demanded more transparency about U.S. military operations in the region.

A Growing U.S. Role in Counter-Narcotics Operations

According to Pentagon sources, the strike was carried out by a combination of U.S. naval and aerial assets operating under the new counter-cartel directives authorized earlier this year. The Trump administration formally designated several transnational drug organizations as “terrorist entities” in March, expanding the legal scope for military engagement.

The president defended the operation, saying it was part of a broader campaign to “take the fight directly to the drug lords and traffickers who poison our communities.”

“We’re not just fighting them on our streets, we’re fighting them at sea, before they ever reach our shores,” Trump said.

Diplomatic Ripples

Colombia’s foreign ministry confirmed that its embassy in Washington had been notified about the planned repatriations and that it was “coordinating with U.S. authorities to ensure due process and humane treatment” for its nationals.

Ecuador’s government also issued a brief statement expressing concern over the “lack of prior communication” about the strike but said it welcomed the repatriation decision.

Regional analysts note that while both governments have been longstanding U.S. partners in counter-narcotics efforts, domestic political pressures could complicate cooperation.

“There’s growing skepticism in Latin America about the U.S. militarization of anti-drug policy,” said Mariana Vélez, a political scientist at the University of Bogotá. “Operations like this one risk inflaming nationalist sentiment, even among allies.”

Calls for Transparency

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called for an independent investigation into the incident, citing reports that some survivors may have been unarmed crew members unaware of the illicit cargo.

The Pentagon declined to release footage or additional details of the strike but said an internal review was underway.

As of Friday, the survivors were being held at a secure U.S. facility in Puerto Rico pending coordination with Colombian and Ecuadorian officials. Trump said the repatriations would begin “within 48 hours.”

“It’s over,” Trump said. “We did what we had to do, and now they’re going home.”