WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the past two months, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have announced that the U.S. military has targeted drug-smuggling operations, resulting in at least 37 fatalities across nine different strikes in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Trump has defended these military actions, describing them as a crucial step to curb the influx of illegal drugs into the United States. He has invoked the same legal framework that the Bush administration utilized to justify the war on terror following the September 11 attacks, categorizing the efforts against drug cartels as an “armed conflict.”

However, this aggressive approach has sparked a significant debate in Congress concerning the extent of the president’s authority. These operations have been conducted without a formal congressional declaration of war or any legal inquiries, prompting some lawmakers to question the evidence supporting these military actions.

In addition to the strikes, a notable increase in U.S. naval forces near South America has heightened tensions, particularly in Venezuela. There are growing concerns that these maneuvers could be a prelude to an attempt to unseat President Nicolás Maduro, who is currently facing narcoterrorism charges in the United States.

Here’s a look at the key events surrounding these military operations and the rising unease among certain members of Congress:

Jan. 20

On his first day back at the White House, Trump signed an executive order enabling the designation of criminal organizations and drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” Among those named was Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan street gang.

The U.S. intelligence community has disputed Trump’s central claim that Maduro’s administration is working with Tren de Aragua and orchestrating drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the U.S.

Feb. 20

The Trump administration formally designates eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.

The label is normally reserved for groups like al-Qaida or the Islamic State that use violence for political ends — not for profit-focused crime rings.

Aug. 19

U.S. officials confirm the military deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.

The naval force in the Caribbean grew within weeks to include three amphibious assault ships and two other U.S. Navy vessels, about 6,000 sailors and Marines in total. The amphibious assault ships have a variety of aircraft on board, and the U.S. deployed F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in September.

A Navy submarine also is operating off South America and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.

Sept. 2

The U.S. carries out its first strike against what Trump says was a drug-carrying vessel that departed from Venezuela and was operated by Tren de Aragua.

Trump says 11 people were killed and posts a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames. The video does not show any large or clear stashes of drugs inside the boat.

Sept. 10

In a letter to the White House, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and two dozen other Democratic senators say the Trump administration has provided “no legitimate legal justification” for the strike.

Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, says in a floor speech that week that the U.S. military is not “empowered to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial.”

Sept. 11

In Venezuela, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accuses the U.S. government of murder, while questioning how the people on board the targeted vessel were linked to the gang.

“And how did they identify them as members of the Tren de Aragua? Did they have, I don’t know, a chip? Did they have a QR code and (the U.S. military) read it from above in the dark?” Cabello said. “They openly confessed to murdering 11 people.”

Sept. 15

The U.S. military carries out its second strike against an alleged drug boat, killing three people.

Asked what proof the U.S. has that the vessel was carrying drugs, Trump told reporters: “We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was spattered all over the ocean — big bags of cocaine and and fentanyl all over the place.”

Sept. 19

Trump says the U.S. military carried out its third fatal strike against an alleged drug smuggling vessel. The president says the attack killed three people and that intelligence “confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics.”

Several senators and human rights groups continue to question the legality of the strikes, describing them as a potential overreach of executive authority.

Oct. 2

Trump declares drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the U.S. is now in an “armed conflict” with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press.

The memo appears to represent an extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers, with Trump effectively declaring that trafficking of drugs into the U.S. amounts to armed conflict requiring the use of military force.

The memo drew criticism from some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. He said only Congress has the authority to declare war and characterized the memo as “a way to pretend like” the administration is notifying lawmakers with a justification for the strikes.

Oct. 3

Hegseth says he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat he accuses of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela. He says the strike killed four men but offers no details on who they were or what group they belonged to.

Trump says in his own social media post that the boat was “loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE” and implied it was “entering American Territory” while off the coast of Venezuela.

Oct. 8

Senate Republicans vote down legislation that would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes on the cartels.

The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans, Paul and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voting in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voting against.

Oct. 14

Trump announces the fifth strike against a small boat accused of carrying drugs, saying it killed six people. The president says “intelligence” confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, associated with “narcoterrorist networks” and on a known drug trafficking route.

Oct. 15

Trump confirms he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and says he was weighing carrying out land operations on the country.

The president says the administration “is looking at land” as it considers further strikes in the region. He declines to say whether the CIA has authority to take action against Maduro.

Oct. 16

The Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region says he will retire in December.

Adm. Alvin Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only last November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. These types of postings typically last between three and four years.

Oct. 16

Trump says the U.S. struck a sixth suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean, killing two people and leaving two survivors who were on the semi-submersible craft.

The president later says the survivors would be sent to Ecuador and Colombia, their home countries, “for detention and prosecution.” Repatriation avoided questions about what their legal status would have been in the U.S. justice system.

Oct. 17

The U.S. military attacks a seventh vessel that Hegseth says was carrying “substantial amounts of narcotics” and associated with a Colombian rebel group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN. He says the strike killed all three “terrorists” on board.

When Hegseth announces the strike on Oct. 19, he does not provide any evidence for his assertions but shares a brief video clip of a boat engulfed in flames.

Oct. 20

Rep. Adam Smith, a ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, calls for a hearing on the boat strikes.

“Never before in my over 20 years on the committee can I recall seeing a combatant commander leave their post this early and amid such turmoil,” Smith said in a statement of Holsey’s impending departure. “I have also never seen such a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.”

Oct. 21

A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council blasted the “covert actions and threats” the U.S. is using against Venezuela, saying that the attacks are taking place without proper legal basis.

“These actions also violate the fundamental international obligations not to intervene in the domestic affairs or threaten to use armed force against another country,” the experts said in a statement. “These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with grave implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region.”

The statement said that experts have relayed their concerns to U.S. officials.

Oct. 21

Hegseth says the U.S. military launched its eighth strike against an alleged drug-carrying vessel, killing two people in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

The attack, announced on social media a day later, marks an expansion of the military’s targeting area and a shift to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.

Oct. 22

Hegseth announced the ninth strike, another in the eastern Pacific Ocean, saying three men were killed. Video he posted on social media showed a boat on the move, an explosion, then flames and smoke pouring out of the vessel. The footage cuts to what look like several packages floating on the water.