Hegseth warns ICC over US boat strikes as Colombia joins anti-cartel coalition

United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the International Criminal Court could investigate US military actions in Latin America, including strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. He made the remarks in Panama while defending the campaign and urging regional partners to reject the court's jurisdiction. He also said Colombia has joined the Shield of the Americas coalition, bringing the group to 19 members.

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Hegseth said the Trump administration's effort to target cartels is part of an "all of government" push to disable the international tribunal. He argued there is no legitimate basis for what he called the court's "lawless power grab" and said US operations are fully lawful under the laws of armed conflict. He also claimed the campaign has produced "record drops in movements of narco-vessels across major maritime corridors" in the Western Hemisphere.

The comments come amid continuing criticism from rights groups and legal experts, who have described the strikes on alleged drug smugglers as violations of international law. A report published in July by the Washington Office on Latin America said at least 221 people had been killed in US strikes since September 2025. The report said the killings amounted to murder under domestic law and extrajudicial killings under international human rights law, and monitors have warned that civilians may have been among the dead.

The coalition Hegseth referred to was launched in March with several Latin American countries to target drug cartels, which the Trump administration has branded as narco-terrorists. Colombia's entry is significant because it expands the regional framework the US is trying to build around maritime interdiction and security cooperation. It also adds political weight to Washington's argument that the campaign has broad regional backing, even as legal concerns remain unresolved.

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The ICC warning adds an international legal dimension to a security campaign already drawing scrutiny over the use of force at sea. The court has jurisdiction over serious international crimes in member states or where cases are referred, and Hegseth's remarks suggest the US is preparing for possible challenges to its operations. His comments also reflect a wider effort by the administration to reject the court's authority over US personnel and partner forces.

What remains unclear is whether the ICC will take any formal step, and whether the coalition's expansion will change the pace or scope of the strikes. It is also not clear how many countries in the coalition are prepared to align with Washington's position on the court. The immediate focus now is on the next phase of the anti-cartel campaign, the legal response to the strikes, and whether further regional members join the coalition.

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