García, Casar, Jacobs and 17 Members of Congress Demand Answers Regarding U.S.-Ecuador Military Operations

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Representatives Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Greg Casar (TX-35) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51), joined by 17 colleagues, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth raising serious concerns about alleged human rights violations during recent U.S.-Ecuador military operations. The Members also call for a suspension of operations pending an investigation and demand clarification on the legal basis and scope of U.S. involvement.

In the letter, the legislators cite multiple statements from the Trump Administration about joint military operations against unidentified "designated terrorist organizations in Ecuador." The Members also note that an investigation by The New York Times revealed one of the sites targeted in these joint operations appears to have been a dairy and cattle farm with no links to drug traffickers or armed groups. According to The New York Times, on March 3, "Ecuadorian military personnel interrogated and assaulted unarmed civilians, burned homes and infrastructure, and subjected detainees to torture before the site was aerially bombarded on March 6."

The Members of Congress warn that "if U.S. forces provide new or continued security assistance to units that engaged in acts such as torture, extrajudicial killings, or enforced disappearances, and there is no credible investigation or prosecution underway, this would constitute a violation of the Leahy Laws, which prohibit assistance to foreign security forces credibly implicated in gross human rights violations without effective steps to bring those responsible to justice."

The letter also expresses the Members' concern about the deepening ties between the U.S. military and the Government of Ecuador under President Daniel Noboa's administration, which has undergone an "alarming authoritarian and anti-democratic drift." Among other things, Noboa and his allies have violently repressed Indigenous-led protests, threatened the country's Constitutional Court, and played a central role in the dissolution of opposition parties and the temporary banning of Ecuador's largest opposition party.

The Members conclude by asking a series of oversight questions about the legal basis and scope of U.S. involvement in these joint operations, as well as allegations of links between Ecuadorian officials and illicit networks, including those involving President Noboa and companies linked to his family. The Members have requested a response by May 22.

In addition to Representatives García, Casar and Jacobs, the letter was signed by: Representatives Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Summer Lee (PA-12), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07).

The letter is endorsed by: Amnesty International USA, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Human Rights First, Latin American Working Group (LAWG), Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, StoptheDrugWar.org, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), and Win Without War.

A full copy of the letter can be found on this link.