US defense chief visits Puerto Rico as Trump escalates fight against cartels
Governor Jenniffer González-Colón welcomed Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, thanking the Trump administration
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (MNTV) — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited Puerto Rico as the island takes on a central role in Washington’s expanding military campaign against Venezuelan drug cartels.
Governor Jenniffer González-Colón welcomed Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, thanking the Trump administration for what she called recognition of Puerto Rico’s “strategic value” in the fight against narcotics networks linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“We thank President Trump and his administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to US national security and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro,” González-Colón wrote on X.
She said the anti-trafficking push would “firmly position Puerto Rico as the United States’ border in the Caribbean” while targeting “the source of the drugs.”
The visit followed Trump’s Aug. 28 executive order authorizing expanded military force against Latin American cartels. Days later, Washington deployed a naval group of seven warships and a submarine to waters near Venezuela. Reports also indicate the US plans to send F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico to reinforce the mission.
Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit have already been conducting amphibious and flight exercises in southern Puerto Rico as part of the buildup.
When asked if he planned to attack Venezuela, Trump said Sunday: “You’re gonna find out.”
Puerto Rico, a US territory with more than three million residents, has a complex political relationship with Washington but has long served as a key military outpost in the Caribbean.
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order rebranding the Department of Defense with the secondary title of “Department of War.” Under the order, Hegseth now also holds the title of “Secretary of War.”
The US has accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which the Treasury Department designated on July 25 as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” group.
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