Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump I sent a fleet American warships to the sea off Venezuela I bragged about a fatal strike Drug ship suspects that Venezuela will pay “immeasurable” prices if it doesn’t accept more people Deported from the US
There is a rare accumulation of navals from South America Surprised the fear of invasion Venezuela and Trump speculation You can try to defeat it That authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, has Loss of support in my country And the face Narcoterrorism accusations in the United States
At the same time, experts say the fleet is not large enough to attack lands against a country twice as large as California. It all raises questions about our intentions.
“The Caribbean fleet is important, but it’s not something that really needs to get in,” said Brian Finukea, a senior adviser to the International Crisis Group and a former State Department lawyer. He hadn’t seen Trump have a “stomach” for that big step. “I like performance military actions, especially strikes against expected terrorists,” the president said.
Fatal boat strikes and naval accumulation A question was raised in the council And some countries about Trump’s goals in the region and whether they will grow. What he says is to stop the flow Several lawmakers and rights groups on illegal drugs to the United States have asked questions Legality to use deadly military attacks Expressing concern to questionable drug traffickers about Trump’s ability to choose to deploy without Congressional approval.
“We have recently begun using the highest powers of the US military to destroy the Venezuelan terrorists and human trafficking networks led by Nicolas Maduro.” Trump said at the United Nations this week. “Please warn all the terrorist thugs who smuggle poison into the United States that we don’t have you.”
Legal recognition for further power is not clear
If Trump decides to order a missile strike on Venezuela or a small assault, experts say it is likely to target drug cartels in place of the Maduro government itself, but that remains a major provocation.
“It’s not much of a useless thing, like a quick strike against the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense,” said Mark Kansian, a senior advisor to the Center for Strategy and International Studies and a retired Marine Corps Colonel. “It will not overturn the administration, it will not activate the opposition, and it will just stir up the hornet’s nest.”
Senators on both sides are watching a strike As a potential presidential responsibility, House and Senate Democrats have introduced war power resolutions that require military action to be suspended without further approval.
Rep. Greg Cassal, a Texas Democrat, said Trump “will not be allowed to draw the United States into another endless war with his reckless actions.”
The Trump administration has been advocating for self-defense as justification by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, advocating drug cartels. “Signs an immediate threat” To the country.
administration Declared some drug cartels As a foreign terrorist organization, on the other hand, Congress’ approval for military power remains in effect for so-called people Earth War on Terrorism. The administration can try to rely on that approval, but Congress will undoubtedly face objections.
“Sinking a strange boat is a big deal, but that’s pretty consistent with the type of action he’s done against terrorists without much dispute,” said Bradley Martin, senior policy researcher at Rand and retired Navy captain.
“We’re launching a camp attack. Soon we’re at a level of strength that doesn’t support it legally,” Martin said. “Even with a massive attack, we are beginning to overcome the points of self-defense.”
US military in the Caribbean
The US Navy has eight warships with over 5,000 sailors and Marines. It is a small ship designed for three destroyers, three amphibious attack ships, cruisers and shallow water combat. They spoke on condition of anonymity to explain the ongoing situation in greater detail.
Destroyers and cruisers usually deploy on Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. This could attack targets hundreds of miles away. USS Newport News, a U.S. Navy submarine, also operates in a wider area of South America and can launch cruise missiles, officials said.
The amphibious attack ship carries about 2,000 Marines and various Marine helicopters, Osprey Till Rotor aircraft and Harrier Jets. The military planned to send several advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets that arrived last week to Puerto Rico, officials said.
Trump warns Venezuela
The White House has announced so far Three fatal strikes They say they smuggled drugs bound by American communities against the ship. They claimed that the two came from Venezuela.
After posting video of last week’s latest strike, Trump has moved the conversation from the US to the removal of Venezuelan citizens
Despite being a US warship, deportation flights to Venezuela continue. Faced with pressure from the White House, Maduro has repealed his long-standing policy this year to not accept deportation from the US
Still, Trump told the Venezuelan government in his post Sunday to quickly accept prisoners and “people in mental institutions.”
“Now let them go from our country to hell, or the price you pay will be immeasurable!” he wrote.
When asked by the reporter what he meant, Trump said, “You’re going to have to understand that.”
Some administration officials are likely to want the presence of the US military to put aside or burn the enemy, but that is “a unlikely to deploy that way,” said Finykan, an international crisis group.
However, Rep. Mario Diaz Barato, a Republican from Florida, argued that Maduro has been declining to three options.
The lawmaker, an outspoken supporter of Venezuela’s political opposition, said in an interview he posted on social media, “going out and going to be corrupt for the rest of his life like Noriega, becoming like Soleimani (ashes and plastic bags).
Manuel Noriega He was a dictator of Panama He was expelled by US troops in a 1989 invasion, which he spent decades in prison before his death. Qassem Soleimani was an Iranian general He was killed in a 2020 drone strike In Iraq ordered by Trump.
Maduro “activates” militia
Maduro And other government officials rejected the allegations that Venezuela was important. Drug Trading Links. They also said that the US military operations were an attack on their sovereignty and part of an attempt to overthrow.
A key element of Venezuela’s defense is the civilian militia, with Maduro claiming that its six million members have been “energized.”
The numbers could not be verified, but public support for the government has plummeted even further. Reliable evidence Showing Maduro was lost Last year’s presidential election.
The country’s troops have recently gathered in plazas, streets, harbors and beaches as part of an effort that Defence Minister Padrino Lopez said was intended to train militias.
In La Guira, which includes the country’s major airports, Gov. Jose Alejandro Terran said it will include training on anti-aircraft defense systems.
“We identified all the approach routes and built an obstacle defense system backed by a heavy gun system,” he told state television.
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Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia, and Garcia Cano from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro from Washington contributed to the report.
