T&T – Families of Fishermen Killed in US Missile Strike Sue US Government

2026-01-28 - 14:32

Families of two Trinidadian men killed in a United States missile strike last October have filed a lawsuit against the US government, alleging wrongful death and extrajudicial killing. The claim was filed on January 27 in the United States District Court for Massachusetts, sitting in admiralty, by Lenore Burnley, the mother of Chad Joseph, 26, and Sallycar Korasingh, the sister of Rishi Samaroo, 41. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the surviving relatives of both men. Joseph and Samaroo were among six people killed on October 14, 2025, when a missile struck a small civilian boat travelling from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago. The men were returning to their home community of Las Cuevas when the strike occurred. According to the lawsuit, the attack formed part of a wider campaign of US military action targeting civilian boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. The claim alleges that at least 36 such strikes have taken place since September 2025, resulting in a minimum of 125 deaths. “Chad was a loving and caring son who was always there for me, for his wife and children, and for our whole family,” Burnley said in a statement. “We know this lawsuit will not bring Chad back, but we are trusting God to carry us through this, and we hope that speaking out will help us get truth and closure.” The families are pursuing their case under the US Death on the High Seas Act, which allows relatives to seek damages for deaths occurring in international waters, and the Alien Tort Statute, which permits foreign nationals to bring claims in US courts for serious violations of international human rights law. Korasingh described her brother as a hardworking man trying to rebuild his life. “Rishi used to call our family almost every day, and then one day he disappeared and we never heard from him again,” she said. “If the US government believed Rishi had done anything wrong, it should have arrested, charged, and detained him, not killed him. They must be held accountable.” The complaint was filed by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Professor Jonathan Hafetz of Seton Hall Law School, and the ACLU of Massachusetts. The legal team argues that the strikes are unlawful, asserting that the United States is not engaged in an armed conflict that would justify the use of lethal force and that the actions violate both international law and US constitutional principles. Brett Max Kaufman, senior counsel at the ACLU, said the lawsuit challenges what he described as unchecked abuses of power. “In seeking justice for the senseless killing of their loved ones, our clients are bravely demanding accountability for their devastating losses and standing up against the administration’s assault on the rule of law,” he said. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have publicly acknowledged the strikes and released video footage of them, including the strike that killed Joseph and Samaroo. However, US authorities have not publicly identified the victims. Following the incident, Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers told local media that the government had no information linking either man to illegal activity. Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said the case raises serious questions about the limits of state power. “It is absurd and dangerous for any state to unilaterally declare that a ‘war’ exists in order to deploy lethal military force,” he said, describing the killings as unlawful and calling for judicial oversight and accountability. The lawsuit states that the United States did not carry out the strikes under any congressional authorization, instead acting unilaterally. It alleges that the killings were premeditated, intentional, and lacked any plausible legal justification. Before his death, Joseph lived in Las Cuevas with his wife and three children. According to the ACLU, he frequently travelled to Venezuela for fishing and agricultural work to support his family. On October 12, he told his wife he had secured a ride home and would return within days. Two days later, his family learned of a boat strike through social media and were unable to contact him. Samaroo was originally from El Socorro, where his elderly father, eight siblings, and two of his three sons still live. His mother resides in nearby San Juan. After his release from prison in 2024 following a 15-year sentence for his involvement in a homicide, he worked in fishing and construction. In August 2025, he moved temporarily to Venezuela for farm work and maintained regular contact with his family. In his final call on October 12, he told his sister he was returning home to care for their ill mother. Professor Jonathan Hafetz said the case has wider implications for international law and accountability. “People may not simply be gunned down by the government,” he said, warning that such actions undermine international legal norms. The case was filed in Massachusetts, where federal courts have long-standing jurisdiction over admiralty matters. Jessie Rossman, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, said the lawsuit is about justice and accountability. “Rishi and Chad wanted only to return home safely to their loved ones. The attack on their boat made that impossible,” she said. The complaint challenges claims by the US government that the strikes are lawful under the laws of war, noting reliance on a reportedly secret Office of Legal Counsel memorandum asserting the existence of a non-international armed conflict against drug cartels in Latin America. The lawsuit argues that no such armed conflict existed on October 14 and that the killings therefore violated international humanitarian law and US law. It further contends that even if an armed conflict did exist, the deliberate targeting of civilians would constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and amount to war crimes under international and federal law. The complaint emphasizes that the prohibition against extrajudicial killing is a fundamental and non-derogable norm under international human rights law. On January 14, Attorney General John Jeremie said the US strikes were consistent with international law, based on advice he received from an external international legal expert. He declined to identify the expert or provide details of the advice, citing legal privilege. Jeremie said he had conveyed his advice to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar but added that he could not confirm that any Trinidad and Tobago citizen had been killed in the strikes. He declined further comment when contacted on January 27.