Republican Congressman Tim Burchett recently introduced the Cartel Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act of 2025, a legislation that would allow US President Donald Trump to authorise private citizens to attack foreign ships.

To put the issue in context, the bill – if approved – will allow anyone to act as legally approved privateers or ‘pirates’. In simple terms, bounty hunters of the high seas.

The bill reached Congress eight days after the first US Coast Guard seizure of an oil tanker servicing Venezuela as part of Trump’s so-called war on drug cartels.

Should this bill pass, it would mark a severe escalation of conflict in the Caribbean Sea and hostilities against Venezuela, besides risking Chinese commercial interests operating in the region.

At the same time, the scandal involving Navy SEAL strike teams killing suspected traffickers on speedboats triggered a congressional probe into the legality of these executions, followed by the premature retirement of Admiral Alvin Holsey under unusual circumstances. 

Letters of marque would further obscure accountability by shifting coercive violence from state forces to the private sector, shielding decision-makers from the human rights scrutiny they currently face.

What is a letter of marque?

Letters of marque are 16th-century legal instruments issued by states granting private actors the authority to capture enemy vessels, a right otherwise reserved for nationally flagged military ships. 

The most famous example comes from Queen Elizabeth I’s ‘Sea Dogs’, including Sir Francis Drake, who raided the Spanish treasure fleet under royal authorisation.

Historically, letters described the vessels under the holder’s command, required a security bond, and meticulously outlined which ships and enemy flags constituted lawful targets. 

Once a privateer seized a vessel, they had to bring the prize before an Admiralty Court. If the court ruled the capture legitimate, the privateer received the ship and its cargo. If the seizure violated the letter’s terms, the court returned........

© TRT World