Rights groups including the ACLU, NYCLU, and Center for Constitutional Rights have filed a lawsuit seeking the release of an internal Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion that allegedly justifies the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels off Latin America.

The lawsuit argues that the public deserves to understand the legal rationale behind military actions that have killed at least 86 people since September.

The groups claim the administration is treating drug traffickers as unlawful combatants.

The FOIA-based lawsuit follows government refusals to release the OLC memo and aims to expose the reasoning behind these lethal operations, Al-Jazeera has reported.

Critics also question the strikes’ effectiveness in reducing drug trafficking and note the broader context of increased U.S. military activity in the region amid tensions with Venezuela.