Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Wednesday he has little sympathy for suspected Venezuelan gang members killed in a U.S. military strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illicit drugs, but he questioned what the operation means for America's role abroad.
On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Paul, chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said that although "nobody's going to have any kind of lost love" for drug traffickers, the U.S. risks assuming the role of "the world's policeman" by conducting such strikes in international waters.
"It sounds good on the face of it," Paul said. "But really, where does it end? Is it really the constitutional duty of our government to be policing international drug trade everywhere around the world?"
Paul stressed that if such suspects had been caught off the coast of Miami, they would have been arrested, charged, and tried in court.
"Even the worst people in our country still get a trial," he said. "Sometimes you have to figure out who people are before you kill them. That's the problem."
Paul argued that treating drug cartels like enemy combatants risks blurring the line between law enforcement and war powers.
"It's also why in our country, wars are the exception," he said. "So, when we have a war, it was intended that we would declare war, [it] would be a big vote of our Congress. And then at that point in time, we say, if that enemy, if we're at war, let's say with Venezuela, then we say their ships are free to shoot them anywhere they are anytime.
"And so, we kill them off their coast. We kill them in their country, but we've declared war on them. It's a little harder here because this is a crime and this is a criminal syndicate."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the strike Wednesday, saying decades of U.S. interdiction operations in Latin America have failed to stem the flow of dangerous drugs.
"What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them," Rubio said, calling the action just the beginning of a larger U.S. operation in the region. He argued that the scale of fentanyl and cocaine entering the country — contributing to more than 100,000 American deaths annually — justifies a more forceful response.
Paul acknowledged the devastation of drug-related deaths but maintained that the U.S. must balance deterrence with constitutional limits and due process.
"Once again, no love lost for the people who died that are trying to infiltrate our country with this filth," he said. "But at the same time, you have to realize it's not as simple as it may sound that, well, let's just kill drug dealers, because sometimes you have to figure out who people are before you kill them. That's the problem."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.