Professor Eric Carpenter recently provided commentary in an articles from The Atlantic and The Miami Herald, which covers last week's missile strike against a suspected terrorist group in the Caribbean and how National Guard deployments are pushing the armed forces beyond their traditional mission.
The strike targeted a boat in international waters carrying alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the administration has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The move expands the military’s counterterrorism mission into the Western Hemisphere and marks a shift toward using armed forces in roles historically carried out by law enforcement agencies, such as drug interdiction and crime prevention.
In his remarks, Professor Carpenter explained that the administration took a "novel step" by naming Latin American drug syndicates as foreign terrorist groups, since that label has historically been limited to politically motivated organizations such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, not criminal gangs. He noted, however, that the designation does not by itself justify the strike, emphasizing that it “doesn’t connect to any use of force or authorization from Congress. It allows the U.S. to prosecute others for providing aid, for example.”
Professor Carpenter’s continued contributions to legal discussions demonstrate his deep expertise in military justice and the value he brings to the FIU Law community