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.
Call for a suspension of U.S.-Ecuador military operations pending an investigation into alleged human rights violations.
Occurrences
The Members also call for a suspension of operations pending an investigation
We write to request the immediate suspension of these operations until these incidents are fully investigated.
Evidence
Representatives Jesús “Chuy” García, Greg Casar and Sara Jacobs, 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.
The May 13, 2026 letter requests an “immediate suspension” until incidents are “fully investigated”; the signature block lists Jesús G. “Chuy” García.
García’s House office announced that García, Casar, Jacobs, and colleagues sent the Hegseth letter and called for suspension pending investigation.
The President notified Congress of March 6, 2026 military action in partnership with Ecuadorian Armed Forces against alleged narco-terrorist facilities.
U.S. Southern Command announced that Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations in Ecuador on March 3, 2026.
The written testimony says the Department supported Ecuador-requested bilateral kinetic actions called “Operation Total Extermination” near the Colombia-Ecuador border.
The House office says García, Casar, Jacobs and 17 colleagues sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and called for a suspension of operations pending an investigation.
The letter asks for the immediate suspension of the operations until the incidents are fully investigated.
Assessments
The claim is about making the call, not securing the policy result. In May 2026, García joined and signed a congressional letter to the Defense Secretary that explicitly requested an immediate suspension of U.S.-Ecuador military operations until the incidents were fully investigated. That directly matches the promised oversight action and occurred while he was in office, so it counts as delivered in the same term.
The promise was to call for a suspension of U.S.-Ecuador military operations pending an investigation into alleged human rights violations. Evidence shows García did exactly that in office by joining a congressional letter to the Defense Secretary explicitly calling for suspension of the operations until an investigation occurs. Because this is an oversight/policy-call promise, making the call itself satisfies the commitment even though the underlying suspension may not have been implemented.