Families of two Trinidadian men killed in US boat strike seek accountability one year on

The relatives of two men from Trinidad and Tobago who went missing last year have marked the anniversary of their deaths by renewing calls for the United States to be held accountable. The families of Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo say the men were killed when a US strike hit a vessel on October 14, 2025.

Since September of the previous year, the US military has been carrying out a campaign of strikes against small boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, saying the vessels were being used to transport what it describes as narco-terrorists. Critics have described the campaign as an unlawful series of extrajudicial killings.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the families of Joseph and Samaroo said they continue to mourn the two men, who they maintain were fishermen and farm workers rather than drug traffickers. The families are pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit in Massachusetts, with support from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Joseph's mother, Lenore Burnley, said the past year had been extremely difficult without her son, describing him as a central and much-loved figure in the family who is deeply missed. She said the family continues to grieve and is seeking justice for his death, expressing hope that the lawsuit will bring them closer to that goal.

Four other people were killed in the same strike on October 14, 2025, which hit a boat that was travelling back to Trinidad and Tobago from neighbouring Venezuela.