The following is a letter I submitted to U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman on Oct. 19. Since then, four more unarmed boats have been attacked.

U.S. forces have attacked and sunk six unarmed boats, which the Defense Department identified as Venezuelan drug traffickers heading to the U.S. However, the department provided no evidence to support this claim. Trinidadians claim that one of the boats was fishing, and their relative, Joseph, tragically lost his life in the incident. Five of the boats were found without any survivors. The last boat that was destroyed had Colombian and Ecuadorian survivors, not Venezuelan. In a recent rally in Howell, Michigan, Vice President JD Vance said, “Hell, I wouldn’t go fishing right now in that area of the world.” This statement can be interpreted as a recognition that fishing boats may have been victims of U.S. attacks.

In the past, U.S. Naval forces, following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, would intercept suspect boats and board them. They would then release the sailors who were fishing or treat traffickers accordingly and confiscate any contraband found on the boats.

Admiral Alvin Holsey, the head of U.S. Caribbean operations, resigned last month due to his concerns about the strikes on unarmed boats outside of U.S. waters. His resignation was reported simultaneously with the public disclosure in the Washington Post by Col. Doug Krugman, a 24-year Marine, of his own recent resignation. The colonel could no longer in good conscience continue with the administration’s actions, which he believed were unconstitutional.

The actions of the administration, which is currently threatening Venezuela, are in direct violation of the UN Charter Article 2(4), which prohibits signatories from threatening or using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. The U.S. signed the UN Charter in San Francisco on June 26, 1945.

It’s hard to imagine any law, standard or rule of engagement that would condone the intentional destruction of an unarmed boat in international waters. Isn’t it simply murder? As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, could you address the administration’s Caribbean policy? The policy seems to diverge from traditional American values.

Do you support the current policy? If not, could you address this policy with the House Armed Services Committee? Additionally, could you address this matter with the administration?