A group of U.S. lawmakers is demanding that the Pentagon immediately suspend joint military operations with Ecuador in the country's northern border region, warning that continued American support could violate federal laws prohibiting assistance to foreign security forces accused of serious human rights abuses.
In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, more than 20 lawmakers led by Democratic Reps. Jesús 'Chuy' García, Greg Casar and Sara Jacobs expressed "deep concern" over allegations tied to recent joint U.S.-Ecuador anti-drug operations near the Colombian border.
The lawmakers cited reporting by The New York Times indicating that one of the sites targeted during the March operations appeared to be a dairy and cattle farm with no known links to drug trafficking or armed groups. According to the report, "Ecuadorian military personnel interrogated and assaulted unarmed civilians, burned homes and infrastructure, and subjected detainees to torture before the site was bombed from the air on March 6."
The letter warns that if U.S. forces continue providing assistance to units implicated in acts such as "torture, extrajudicial executions or forced disappearances" without credible investigations underway, it "would constitute a violation of the Leahy Laws," which prohibit U.S. security assistance to foreign forces credibly accused of serious human rights violations.
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The lawmakers also questioned the legal basis for the operations and asked the Pentagon to explain the scope of U.S. involvement, noting that Congress has not authorized military action in Ecuador.
The operations are part of an expanding security partnership between the Trump administration and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who has intensified military operations against criminal groups after declaring an "internal armed conflict" in the country. U.S. Southern Command has acknowledged supporting Ecuadorian operations against groups designated by Ecuador as terrorist organizations.
The congressional letter also criticized what lawmakers described as an "alarming authoritarian and anti-democratic drift" under Noboa, citing crackdowns on Indigenous-led protests, threats against Ecuador's Constitutional Court and actions against opposition parties.
The military campaign has unfolded amid worsening violence in Ecuador, which recorded more than 9,200 homicides last year, as well as rising tensions with neighboring Colombia. Colombian President Gustavo Petro recently accused Ecuador of bombing near Colombian territory after an unexploded device was discovered close to the border, allegations Ecuador denied.
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