Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, said that the recent intensification of the US naval deployment near Venezuela is a response to the Trump administration's"determination" to combat drug cartels in the hemisphere and defend the population of the United States.
Asked by reporters whether the measure is intended to pressure Chavista dictator Nicolás Maduro, crack down on cartels, or both, Miller responded: “I want to be very clear. The president has said, from the campaign trail and from the first day of his presidency and his first executive orders, that criminal cartels in this hemisphere are foreign terrorist organizations that pose a clear and present danger to the American people.”
The official insisted that"there is no organization on this planet responsible for more American deaths than the criminal cartels, the drug traffickers operating in the Western Hemisphere." He added that the president has made it his military's mission to "defend the nation against these foreign terrorist organizations and criminal cartels."
"What we are seeing is the determination of the president and the United States military to combat and dismantle drug trafficking organizations, criminal cartels, and these foreign terrorist organizations in our hemisphere," he concluded.
The naval deployment off Venezuela has gained prominence following the arrival of three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers and the prospect of three amphibious assault ships—carrying more than 4,000 sailors and Marines—joining next week, according to a defense official cited on condition of anonymity. The U.S. government has not announced any plans for a ground incursion, and analysts and officials have ruled out the feasibility of an invasion.
However, the military presence has dominated public conversation in the South American country, with social media posts and statements from state television about an alleged invasion threat proliferating. The Maduro regime has used these fears to rally its base to enlist in a militia, while the opposition presents the US deployment as a sign that the Chavista government is under pressure.
Admiral Daryl Caudle, the U.S. Navy's chief of naval operations, stated at the Norfolk, Virginia, base that the U.S. ships will head to South American waters to support"Venezuelan operations and missions" related to drug cartels. He did not specify the location of the deployment or specific objectives because of the secretive nature of the mission, but noted that their role is to provide strategic options to the president and the secretary of defense.
The U.S. naval buildup follows President Donald Trump's decision to designate several Latin American criminal groups—including Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and El Salvador's MS-13—as foreign terrorist organizations. The stated goal is to combat drug trafficking, the entry of fentanyl and other narcotics into the U.S., and organized crime-related violence.
From Caracas, Nicolás Maduro has denied US accusations that Venezuela is a hub for drug trafficking and asserted that, unlike Colombia, the country is not home to coca crops or cocaine laboratories."We Venezuelans are under our own law, and no one touches this land," the president proclaimed on his weekly television program. Maduro asserted that Washington's offensive is politically motivated and is now turning to drug trafficking as a narrative after other arguments used against non-aligned governments in the past.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose representative Edmundo González is recognized by the United States and other nations as the legitimate winner of the 2024 presidential elections, thanked the Trump administration for “the correct, brave, and clear approach toward the criminal enterprise that has taken over Venezuela.” Machado highlighted on social media that the militia recruitment campaign failed to garner citizen support and stated: “The empty squares of Venezuela today herald the future that is approaching.”
International experts, such as Christopher Sabatini of the British think tank Chatham House, interpret the naval deployment and recent designations as part of the White House's strategy to increase political pressure against Maduro and mobilize the opposition, but they do not see any real possibility of direct military intervention.
Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN Samuel Moncada has asked Secretary General António Guterres to urge the U.S. government to respect Venezuelan sovereignty and stop what he calls hostile actions.
The regional context remains tense in light of the imminent arrival of more U.S. ships and the increasing conflict between the Venezuelan regime, the opposition, and Washington. The military deployment, presented by the White House as part of the fight against international crime, is taking on a new meaning within the political struggle in Caracas and on the global stage.
