President Trump said Monday that he would not rule out sending U.S. troops into Venezuela, as his administration considers taking military action against the Caribbean nation led by a man the White House accuses of leading a drug cartel.
The U.S. military continues to add firepower to an already major presence in the Caribbean, stepping up both asset deployments and military exercises across the region over recent weeks.
With the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier, now stationed within striking distance of Venezuela, there are roughly 15,000 American troops at sea and on land in the region — including in Puerto Rico, where U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jets have been seen flying nearly around the clock this week.
The Ford arrived as the Trump administration moved to designate a purported drug-smuggling ring known as the “Cartel de Los Soles” as a foreign terrorist organization. President Trump said that designation could open the door to targeting assets and infrastructure inside Venezuela.
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Asked Monday if he would rule out sending American ground troops into Venezuela, Mr. Trump said: “No, I don’t rule out that. I don’t rule out anything. We just have to take care of Venezuela.”
The uncertainty over how Mr. Trump will decide to do that, combined with the huge buildup of American forces in the region, is leaving some residents uneasy in nearby Puerto Rico.
“There really hasn’t been this type of presence for two decades now,” U.S. Navy veteran Juan Masini told CBS News about the American military deployment, which he said had “created a near blockade against Venezuela.”
“I feel tense, I feel anxious, not knowing what is going to happen,” another Puerto Rico resident, Damien Leon, said. “Maybe an attack.”
But for others, an influx of U.S. personnel means something very different: security, and customers.
Local business owner Osbaldo Medina told CBS News he’s seen an economic surge in recent weeks.
“They give us more security. They support us economically,” he said.
The controversial American military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats continued over the weekend, with at least 22 vessels now targeted and 83 people killed since the attacks began in September.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro tried to ease the tension with his much larger neighbor to the north on Monday, even offering a musical appeal, singing some of John Lennon’s famous song “Imagine,” and urging the Trump administration to give peace a chance.