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Tag: Caribbean

  • Rubio urges closer U.S.-Caribbean ties, cites gangs, energy among shared interests

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    BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a message of closer cooperation as he met with Caribbean leaders on Wednesday, identifying gang violence and energy security as areas of shared concern.

    Rubio, who spent the day in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in talks with regional heads of government, said he intended to make relations with the Caribbean a “personal priority.” It was his second official visit to the region in less than a year.

    “It will be one that I will be personally engaged in,” he said, “and it’s one that I hope to leave for my successor, whoever that may be.”

    Rubio was among the special guests at the 50th regular meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, known as CARICOM. Other guests included the secretary general of the Commonwealth and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

    In remarks described as “brisk” and “encouraging,” Rubio addressed the administration’s pressure campaign toward Venezuela, the capture of Nicolás Maduro last month, the threat of transnational criminal organizations and the region’s energy challenges.

    Speaking behind closed doors to leaders of CARICOM’s 15 member states and associate members, Rubio warned that transnational criminal organizations pose perhaps the greatest threat to both the Caribbean and the United States.

    “We have a long history of working together on responding” to challenges, Rubio said, according to a State Department transcript of his address.

    He acknowledged a frequent complaint from Caribbean leaders: many of the guns fueling high murder rates in parts of the region originate in the United States.

    “We are committed and continue to work very hard with our law enforcement agencies to shut that down,” he said. “These are terroristic organizations.”

    Rubio pointed to Haiti, where the United States led efforts at the United Nations Security Council to authorize a new Gang Suppression Force, as proof of the administration’s commitment.. The mission, expected to begin deploying in April, would be larger and more robust than the previous Kenyan-led effort.

    He also cited sanctions against gang leaders and their financiers, including the designation of a powerful coalition as a foreign terrorist organization.

    “I think our cooperation will have to grow even deeper and our commitment to it will have to grow even stronger because these groups grow stronger,” he said.

    Energy, he said, is also an area where the U.S. and Caribbean relationship can be of benefit.

    “There are extraordinary opportunities for economic advancement, to work together,” he said. “ Energy is critical for the future; it’s critical for every economy in order to prosper.”

    Many of the countries in the region are seeking to develop oil and gas resources, he noted. Previous administrations have promoted energy cooperation in the region, often with an emphasis on renewables. But oil-producing countries such as Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname have underscored their role as hydrocarbon exporters.

    Financing remains a major constraint in a region that pays some of the highest electricity costs in the hemisphere.

    Rubio suggested that Venezuela could help supply the energy needs. The country’s oil wealth once funded development programs through the discounted PetroCaribe oil program until U.S. sanctions restricted countries’ ability to pay.

    On Wednesday, he once again raised the prospect of Caribbean governments doing business with Venezuela to fund their energy needs. Referring to the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez, he said the South American nation has “done things that eight or nine weeks ago would have been unimaginable.

    “Ultimately we do believe that a prosperous, free Venezuela who’s governed by a legitimate government who has the interests of their people in mind could also be an extraordinary partner and asset to many of the countries represented here today in terms of energy needs and the like, and also one less source of instability in the region,” he said. “So we expect to work very closely with all of you on that topic as well to the extent possible, and I think it’s related to the topic of security that I highlighted.”

    Rubio also defended the U.S. policy on Venezuela: “Irrespective of how some of you may have individually felt about our operations and our policy towards Venezuela, I will tell you this, and I will tell you this without any apology or without any apprehension: Venezuela is better off today than it was eight weeks ago.”

    Rodríguez‘s interim administration, he added, has “for the first time in a long time, generating oil revenue that’s going to the benefit of their people,” including public services and medical supplies.

    One sensitive issue Rubio did not publicly address was U.S. travel restrictions affecting several Caribbean countries. Haiti remains under a full travel ban, while Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda face partial restrictions. Officials from other Eastern Caribbean states have raised concerns about heightened visa scrutiny.

    He also did not address the issue of Cuba, which remains of major concerns for Caribbean leaders. Rubio cast his appearance at the summit — the first in a decade attended by every regional leader — as a demonstration of the Trump administration’s commitment to the Western Hemisphere.

    “The stronger, the safer, the more prosperous, and the more secure that all of your counties are, the stronger, safer, more secure, and prosperous the United States is going to be. We view our security, our prosperity, our stability to be intricately tied to yours, and we are going to evidence that in the actions we’re prepared to take,” he said.

    Rubio also added that he hoped his presence served as “a real-world demonstration of our commitment to being your partner,” he said.

    “I don’t even want to call it resetting relations because it’s really not about a reset. I mean, we have longstanding ties to each of you bilaterally and all of you collectively, but reinvigorating our relationships because we have a lot in common to work on, both opportunities and challenges, and the United States is committed to doing that.”

    Jacqueline Charles

    Miami Herald

    Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.

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    Jacqueline Charles

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  • St. Kitts and Nevis agrees to take U.S. migrants, but says no Haitians allowed

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    Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis Terrance Drew poses for a portrait on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly at Scandinavia House in New York City on September 25, 2025. US President Donald Trump may dismiss climate change as a "con job" -- but for the leader of the twin island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, its toll is unmistakable: land swallowed, homes battered, and livelihoods threatened. Prime Minister Terrance Drew, responding to Trump's blistering attack on the science of planet-warming fossil fuels at the United Nations, said: "Everyone has the opportunity to express themselves." But for his 45,000 countrymen and women, "it is not a matter of any discussion, it is a reality we are living," Drew told AFP on the sidelines of the world's body's high-level week in New York. (Photo by Issam AHMED / AFP) (Photo by ISSAM AHMED/AFP via Getty Images)

    Terrance Drew, prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis


    ISSAM AHMED

    AFP via Getty Images

    Two more Caribbean countries have entered into agreements with the Trump administration to accept asylum seekers deported from the United States, with one leader explicitly saying Haitians are not welcome.

    St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew said that his government has agreed to accept a very small number of third-country nationals from the U.S. as long as they are citizens of the 15-member Caribbean Community known as CARICOM, and are not sexual predators, have no violent backgrounds and are not Haitians

    “This does not involve anybody outside of CARICOM,” Drew said at a news conference late last week. “This is in keeping with our character. And I will further say that because of security matters, it does not include Haiti at this time.” He reiterated Haiti’s exclusion at three separate points during the briefing.

    The exclusion of Haitian nationals marks the first public acknowledgment by a CARICOM member state that it has placed explicit limits on accepting nationals from Haiti, which is a member of the bloc of mostly former British colonies, in their negotiations with Washington. Though Caribbean governments are known for their exclusions of Haitians and even rejections once they arrive on their shores, what makes the latest development surprising is that Drew is currently the chairman of the regional bloc.

    On Monday, seemingly addressing the firestorm over the agreement with the U.S. and Haiti’s exclusion, he said “in approaching diplomacy, one has to evaluate very carefully what are the risks and benefits.

    “My first objective always, is to protect St. Kitts and Nevis, and our people” he added. “Any decision that is made is made with that in mind.”

    Drew has acknowledged that Caribbean countries are agreeing to accept their own nationals. This raises questions about the scope and substance of the island-nation’s third-party arrangement, which the United States has been aggressively pursuing across the region to expand destinations for asylum seekers and refugees kicked out of the U.S. who cannot return to their countries of origin.

    Third-party agreements

    So far, six CARICOM countries — Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia — have announced that they have entered into an arrangement with Washington to accept migrants.

    On Sunday, St Lucia’s recently re-elected prime minister, Philip J. Pierre, confirmed that his government had signed “a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding” with the U.S. to potentially accept certain “third country nationals” deported by the Trump Administration.

    “We believe that stability is best secured through dialogue, diplomacy and respect for established international norms,” Pierre said during a national address announcing the decision. “We’ll continue to work with our regional partners to safeguard the Caribbean as a zone of peace. St. Lucia’s foreign policy remains rooted in diplomacy, cooperation and mutually beneficial shared interests.”

    St. Lucia, Antigua, Dominica and St. Kitts, in addition to being in the eastern Caribbean, all have Citizenship by Investment programs, which allow foreigners to acquire citizenship with investments ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. The program has come under fire from the Trump administration, which has used its concerns over a lack of vetting and transparency as leverage with Caribbean governments.

    In December, both Antigua and Dominica were added to a list of countries under a partial U.S. travel ban after Trump issued an executive order, citing their CBI programs.

    All the Caribbean countries have negotiated their own conditions for accepting refugees deported from the U.S. who cannot return to their countries of origin., but only Antigua has publicly detailed the parameters governing its agreement with the U.S.

    According to a letter Antigua’s government wrote to senior State Department official Michael Kozak, the Caribbean country says it will only consider taking in designated refugees under U.S. law or registered asylum seekers with pending, non-frivolous applications recognized by U.S. authorities who have no criminal convictions other than immigration-status offenses; have no pending criminal charges; are not subject to sex-offender registration; are not on terrorism, organized-crime, or sanctions lists; and are not otherwise excludable on security grounds. Individuals also must possess a certified skill or professional license recognized by the relevant regulatory authorities of Antigua and Barbuda; and have at least basic working proficiency in English.

    There is no mention of nationality in the lette. Status will be granted for no more than 24 months unless mutual consent is given for an extension. “If the transferee and immediate family have not achieved self-sufficiency by the end of twenty-four months, Antigua and Barbuda may request their return. The United States shall accept such return and arrange transport within thirty days, securing all travel documents and covering all costs,” the letter said.

    Questions about Haiti’s place

    Other countries have yet to provide details of their agreement. But so far, only St. Kitts and Nevis, a country with a population of about 46,000 people, has publicly confirmed the exclusion of Haitians, reviving longstanding questions about Haiti’s place within CARICOM.

    Neither Haiti’s foreign minister nor the prime minister’s office responded to Miami Herald requests for comment. The decision has prompted debate online over what critics describe as moral contradictions in a region that often positions itself as Haiti’s advocate — the bloc is currently leading discussions about the country’s political transition after Feb. 7 — while excluding the French-speaking country from the practical implementation of regional policies. CARICOM’s Single Market and Economy, which allows for the free movement of goods and services, excludes Haiti, while member states continue to deny Haitian nationals visa-free travel to their countries.

    Peterson Benjamin Noel, a former Haitian ambassador to CARICOM, said many member states, including St. Kitts and Nevis, remain reluctant to accept Haitian nationals, viewing them as a form of “silent invasion.” That apprehension, he said, is particularly evident in The Bahamas, the CARICOM country with the largest population of people of Haitian descent, which has declined to join the Single Market and Economy largely because of concerns over the free movement of people.

    As a result, Noel said, Haiti is often treated less as an equal partner in regional integration than as a vehicle through which CARICOM can project influence internationally.

    “Haiti’s integration is framed more as a symbolic or strategic necessity than as a genuinely inclusive process,” he said.

    He added that there exists “an implicit and often unspoken regional consensus regarding Haiti—one that shapes policy positions while remaining largely absent from formal discourse.”

    Jacqueline Charles

    Miami Herald

    Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.

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    Jacqueline Charles

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  • Iraq War veteran on Trump’s push for regime change in Venezuela

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    Phil Klay, a U.S. Marine veteran of the Iraq War and a professor at Fairfield University, joins CBS News with his reaction to the raid that deposed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and President Trump’s calls for regime change.

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  • Who is Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president?

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    Who is Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim president? – CBS News









































    Watch CBS News



    Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president. CBS News’ Lilia Luciano has more on who she is.

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  • Americans trying to get home from Caribbean after attack on Venezuela prompts airspace closure

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    U.S. airlines are flying in and out of the Caribbean again Sunday after the surprise U.S. attack on Venezuela prompted the FAA to close the airspace over much of the Caribbean Saturday. Kris Van Cleave reports on how many stranded Americans are still waiting for flights home.

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  • Maduro arrives in US after capture in operation that Trump says will let US ‘run’ Venezuela

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    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.Video above: U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Maduro in overnight operationMaduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries. Video below: ‘We are going to run the country,’ Trump says of VenezuelaTrump says US will ‘run the country’The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.Video below: Fact checking President Trump’s Venezuela claimsEarly morning attackTaking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.“We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.“There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”Video below: President Donald Trump’s full comments on Venezuela strike and Nicolas Maduro captureSome streets in Caracas fill upVenezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”Questions of legalityWhether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”___Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    Video above: U.S. strikes Venezuela, captures President Maduro in overnight operation

    Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

    Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.

    Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Video below: ‘We are going to run the country,’ Trump says of Venezuela

    Trump says US will ‘run the country’

    The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.

    Video below: Fact checking President Trump’s Venezuela claims

    Early morning attack

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.

    Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”

    Video below: President Donald Trump’s full comments on Venezuela strike and Nicolas Maduro capture

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    Questions of legality

    Whether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.

    In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

    Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    ___

    Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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  • Maduro arrives in US after capture in operation that Trump says will let US ‘run’ Venezuela

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    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries. Trump says US will ‘run the country’The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.Early morning attackTaking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.“We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.“There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”Some streets in Caracas fill upVenezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.“Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.“How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”Questions of legalityWhether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”___Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

    Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro arrived in the United States to face criminal charges after being captured in an audacious nighttime military operation that President Donald Trump said would set the U.S. up to “run” the South American country and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations.

    Maduro landed Saturday evening at a small airport in New York following the middle-of-the-night operation that extracted him and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their home in a military base in the capital, Caracas — an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces U.S. charges of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

    The dramatic action capped an intensive Trump administration pressure campaign on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of secret planning, resulting in the most assertive American action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts raised questions about the lawfulness of the operation, which was done without congressional approval.

    Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, meanwhile, demanded that the United States free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader as her nation’s high court named her interim president.

    Some Venezuelan civilians and members of the military were killed, said Rodríguez, who didn’t give a number. Trump said some U.S. forces were injured, but none were killed.

    Speaking to reporters hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.

    Trump says US will ‘run the country’

    The Trump administration promoted the ouster as a step toward reducing the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S. The president touted what he saw as other potential benefits, including a leadership stake in the country and greater control of oil.

    Trump claimed the U.S. government would help lead the country and was already doing so, though there were no immediate visible signs of that. Venezuelan state TV aired pro-Maduro propaganda and broadcast live images of supporters taking to the streets in Caracas in protest.

    “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference. He boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.”

    Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 on narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, and the Justice Department released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro and his wife that painted his administration as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug-trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine. The U.S. government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

    The Trump administration spent months building up American forces in the region and carrying out attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly ferrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. campaign began in September.

    Early morning attack

    Taking place 36 years to the day after the 1990 surrender and seizure of Panama leader Manuel Antonio Noriega following a U.S. invasion, the Venezuela operation unfolded under the cover of darkness early Saturday. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in to extract Maduro and his wife.

    Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had rehearsed their maneuvers for months, learning everything about Maduro — where he was and what he ate, as well as details of his pets and his clothes.

    “We think, we develop, we train, we rehearse, we debrief, we rehearse again and again,” Caine said. “Not to get it right, but to ensure we cannot get it wrong.”

    Multiple explosions rang out that morning, and low-flying aircraft swept through Caracas. Maduro’s government accused the United States of hitting civilian and military installations, calling it an “imperialist attack” and urging citizens to take to the streets. The explosions — at least seven blasts — sent people rushing into the streets, while others took to social media to report what they saw and heard.

    Restrictions imposed by the U.S. government on airspace around Venezuela and the Caribbean expired early Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X, an announcement that suggested any further immediate major U.S. military action was unlikely. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” he posted.

    Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro. Rodríguez, however, stressed during a Saturday appearance on state television that she did not plan to assume power, before Venezuela’s high court ordered that she become interim president.

    “There is only one president in Venezuela,” Rodriguez said, “and his name is Nicolás Maduro Moros.”

    Some streets in Caracas fill up

    Venezuela’s ruling party has held power since 1999, when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, took office, promising to uplift poor people and later to implement a self-described socialist revolution.

    Maduro took over when Chávez died in 2013. His 2018 reelection was widely considered a sham because the main opposition parties were banned from participating. During the 2024 election, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared him the winner hours after polls closed, but the opposition gathered overwhelming evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

    In a demonstration of how polarizing Maduro is, people variously took to the streets to protest his capture, while others celebrated it. At a protest in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mayor Carmen Meléndez joined a crowd demanding Maduro’s return.

    “Maduro, hold on, the people are rising up!” the crowd chanted. “We are here, Nicolás Maduro. If you can hear us, we are here!”

    In other parts of the city, the streets were empty hours after the attack.

    “How do I feel? Scared, like everyone,” said Caracas resident Noris Prada, who sat on an empty avenue looking at his phone. “Venezuelans woke up scared. Many families couldn’t sleep.”

    In Doral, Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, people wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags, ate fried snacks and cheered as music played. At one point, the crowd chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

    Questions of legality

    Whether the United States violated any laws, international or otherwise, was still a question early Sunday. “There are a number of international legal concepts which the United States might have broken by capturing Maduro,” said Ilan Katz, an international law analyst.

    In New York, the U.N. Security Council, acting on an emergency request from Colombia, planned to hold a meeting on U.S. operations in Venezuela on Monday morning. That was according to a council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet made public.

    Lawmakers from both American political parties have raised reservations and flat-out objections to the U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling. Congress has not approved an authorization for the use of military force for such operations in the region.

    Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had seen no evidence that would justify Trump striking Venezuela without approval from Congress and demanded an immediate briefing by the administration on “its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

    ___

    Toropin and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jorge Rueda in Caracas, Venezuela; Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price, Seung Min Kim and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Farnoush Amiri in New York; and Larry Neumeister in South Amboy, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

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  • Airspace and travel restrictions on much of Caribbean airspace following US strikes on Venezuela

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    Much of Caribbean airspace has been closed as the United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack. This has caused flight cancellations to and from Caribbean airports. So far, there have been nearly 900 cancellations and over 4,000 delays.The airspace closure impacted thousands of people traveling to or from Caribbean countries, all as a busy holiday travel season winds down.Related video above: See a report on the strikes and capture of Venezuela’s presidentThe legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — was not immediately clear. The stunning, lightning-fast American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990 — exactly 36 years ago Saturday. Here’s what the attack on Venezuela means for travel in the region:FAA imposes airspace restriction on Puerto RicoThe Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a temporary airspace restriction on Puerto Rico’s international airport and surrounding regions.An announcement by Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan posted on the social media site X said the restriction was placed because of the “security situation related to military activity” in Venezuela.As a result, most commercial airlines to and from the airport that are operated by U.S. airlines have been suspended or may be canceled.Foreign airlines and military aircraft are not included in this restriction, the statement said. “Passengers are urged to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before heading to the airport.”Delta Airlines announced that it began canceling flights in Caribbean airspace Saturday morning, and announcements from American Airlines and United followed soon after.State Department urges Americans in Venezuela to shelter in placeThe State Department issued a new travel alert early Saturday, warning Americans in Venezuela urging them to “shelter in place” due to the situation.”U.S. Embassy Bogota is aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela,” it said without elaboration.”The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, warns U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela. U.S. citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place.” The embassy in Bogota has been shuttered since March 2019 but operates remotely.The view from New EnglandThe cancellations affected many New England travelers, some of whom became stranded in foreign countries.”At first, we didn’t know what was going on because they kept delaying the flight,” said Tricia Maloney. “All the flights but ours were cancelled, and ours kept being delayed and delayed and delayed and it was finally cancelled.”Maloney and her family were scheduled to fly back to Boston on Saturday from vacation in Curacao, which is about 40 miles from Venezuela.Plans quickly changed for them.”Our hotel didn’t have any availability, so everyone was scrambling for hotels,” Maloney said. “So, we’re in a new hotel now for tonight, and we’ll have to figure something out tomorrow.”Others, like the Marchese family from Wilbraham, ran into the opposite problem.They were supposed to vacation in Aruba, but amid ongoing flight restrictions, their plan B is Florida.Two families from New Hampshire are now struggling to make changes.”Everyone is like panicking, we can’t even find flights out here until Friday,” said Casie Woodman of Fremont, New Hampshire.A vacation to Aruba for Casie Woodman, of Fremont, New Hampshire, is taking an unexpected turn after she woke up Saturday to learn of the U.S military actions in Venezuela and the closed airspace in the area. “There’s no flights through any airlines, even just to get in the United States, until Friday,” said Woodman.Woodman says families at the resort are scrambling and older people are concerned about getting their medicine.Manchester’s Gus Emmick and his family thought they’d be spending their vacation in Saint Martin, but now they are at Logan Airport.”Many, many families are just sitting here trying to scramble and figure out what happened and what they are going to do,” said Gus Emmick, of Manchester, New Hampshire.The family is switching gears and looking to head to Florida.”As much as we love New Hampshire, December has been a little rough, so we are looking for warmer weather and hoping we’ll see some,” said Emmick.Aviation expert Tom Kinton said safety is the reason behind the airspace closure.”There were hundreds of aircraft and fixed-wing drones as part of this operation. You want to get that all cleaned up before you let civilian aircraft back into that airspace again,” said Tom Kinton. According to the FAA, the closed airspace is impacting flights in and out of Caribbean destinations like Aruba, Barbados and even Puerto Rico. Delta flights to and from the following airports have been cancelled for the day, according to a spokesperson. They are as follows:Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico (SJU)Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten (SXM)Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in Saint Croix (STX)Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas (STT)Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba (AUA)Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport on St. Kitts, Caribbean Islands (SKB)Curaçao International Airport in Curaçao (CUR)Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados (BGI)Hewanorra International Airport in St. Lucia (UVF)Bonaire International Airport near Kralendijk in the Caribbean Netherlands (BON)Argyle International Airport in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD)Maurice Bishop International Airport in Grenada (GND)V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua and Barbuda (ANU)It’s unclear when the Delta flights will resume for these airports. Now, Kinton said the airspace is slated to open at 5 a.m. Sunday. However, it could be that a narrower airspace is opened for the time being or the opening could be delayed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Much of Caribbean airspace has been closed as the United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country after months of stepped-up pressure by Washington — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

    This has caused flight cancellations to and from Caribbean airports. So far, there have been nearly 900 cancellations and over 4,000 delays.

    The airspace closure impacted thousands of people traveling to or from Caribbean countries, all as a busy holiday travel season winds down.

    Related video above: See a report on the strikes and capture of Venezuela’s president

    The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — was not immediately clear. The stunning, lightning-fast American military action, which plucked a nation’s sitting leader from office, echoed the U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the surrender and seizure of its leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega, in 1990 — exactly 36 years ago Saturday.

    Here’s what the attack on Venezuela means for travel in the region:

    FAA imposes airspace restriction on Puerto Rico

    The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a temporary airspace restriction on Puerto Rico’s international airport and surrounding regions.

    An announcement by Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan posted on the social media site X said the restriction was placed because of the “security situation related to military activity” in Venezuela.

    MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO

    Passengers wait at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport as all flights are cancelled following U.S. military action in Venezuela, on Jan. 3, 2026, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. 

    As a result, most commercial airlines to and from the airport that are operated by U.S. airlines have been suspended or may be canceled.

    Foreign airlines and military aircraft are not included in this restriction, the statement said. “Passengers are urged to check the status of their flight directly with their airline before heading to the airport.”

    Delta Airlines announced that it began canceling flights in Caribbean airspace Saturday morning, and announcements from American Airlines and United followed soon after.

    State Department urges Americans in Venezuela to shelter in place

    The State Department issued a new travel alert early Saturday, warning Americans in Venezuela urging them to “shelter in place” due to the situation.

    “U.S. Embassy Bogota is aware of reports of explosions in and around Caracas, Venezuela,” it said without elaboration.

    “The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, warns U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela. U.S. citizens in Venezuela should shelter in place.” The embassy in Bogota has been shuttered since March 2019 but operates remotely.

    The view from New England

    The cancellations affected many New England travelers, some of whom became stranded in foreign countries.

    “At first, we didn’t know what was going on because they kept delaying the flight,” said Tricia Maloney. “All the flights but ours were cancelled, and ours kept being delayed and delayed and delayed and it was finally cancelled.”

    Maloney and her family were scheduled to fly back to Boston on Saturday from vacation in Curacao, which is about 40 miles from Venezuela.

    Plans quickly changed for them.

    “Our hotel didn’t have any availability, so everyone was scrambling for hotels,” Maloney said. “So, we’re in a new hotel now for tonight, and we’ll have to figure something out tomorrow.”

    Others, like the Marchese family from Wilbraham, ran into the opposite problem.

    They were supposed to vacation in Aruba, but amid ongoing flight restrictions, their plan B is Florida.

    Two families from New Hampshire are now struggling to make changes.

    “Everyone is like panicking, we can’t even find flights out here until Friday,” said Casie Woodman of Fremont, New Hampshire.

    A vacation to Aruba for Casie Woodman, of Fremont, New Hampshire, is taking an unexpected turn after she woke up Saturday to learn of the U.S military actions in Venezuela and the closed airspace in the area.

    “There’s no flights through any airlines, even just to get in the United States, until Friday,” said Woodman.

    Woodman says families at the resort are scrambling and older people are concerned about getting their medicine.

    Manchester’s Gus Emmick and his family thought they’d be spending their vacation in Saint Martin, but now they are at Logan Airport.

    “Many, many families are just sitting here trying to scramble and figure out what happened and what they are going to do,” said Gus Emmick, of Manchester, New Hampshire.

    The family is switching gears and looking to head to Florida.

    “As much as we love New Hampshire, December has been a little rough, so we are looking for warmer weather and hoping we’ll see some,” said Emmick.

    Aviation expert Tom Kinton said safety is the reason behind the airspace closure.

    “There were hundreds of aircraft and fixed-wing drones as part of this operation. You want to get that all cleaned up before you let civilian aircraft back into that airspace again,” said Tom Kinton.

    According to the FAA, the closed airspace is impacting flights in and out of Caribbean destinations like Aruba, Barbados and even Puerto Rico.

    Delta flights to and from the following airports have been cancelled for the day, according to a spokesperson. They are as follows:

    • Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico (SJU)
    • Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten (SXM)
    • Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in Saint Croix (STX)
    • Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas (STT)
    • Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba (AUA)
    • Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport on St. Kitts, Caribbean Islands (SKB)
    • Curaçao International Airport in Curaçao (CUR)
    • Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados (BGI)
    • Hewanorra International Airport in St. Lucia (UVF)
    • Bonaire International Airport near Kralendijk in the Caribbean Netherlands (BON)
    • Argyle International Airport in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD)
    • Maurice Bishop International Airport in Grenada (GND)
    • V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua and Barbuda (ANU)

    It’s unclear when the Delta flights will resume for these airports.

    Now, Kinton said the airspace is slated to open at 5 a.m. Sunday. However, it could be that a narrower airspace is opened for the time being or the opening could be delayed.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Caribbean tensions flare as Trinidad PM accuses leaders of ‘badmouthing’ U.S.

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    Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP) (Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 26, 2025.


    LEONARDO MUNOZ

    AFP via Getty Images

    The Trump administration’s build-up of warships near Venezuela, its recently imposed visa restrictions on two island-nations and the decisions by some countries to grant the U.S. military access to their territories have brought tensions in the Caribbean to a new high.

    One of the U.S. military campaign’s staunchest supporters, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, is accusing two fellow Caribbean leaders of triggering visa restrictions for their citizens by “bad-mouthing the U.S.” over American strikes on vessels in the southern Caribbean. The U.S. military build up, which began in September and has since expanded to the eastern Pacific, has led to the deaths of at least 104 people Washington says were drug traffickers.

    “Why are you badmouthing the people? You want to go to the people’s country, but you want to badmouth them. Isn’t that hypocrisy?” Persad-Bissessar said from Port-of-Spain Friday as she warned her 1.5 million residents to “behave.”

    More than 250,000 Trinidadians and Toboggans live in the United States, she said, while over 300,000 hold U.S. visas. “Careful you don’t end up like Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, who bad-mouthed the U.S. and guess what happened? All their visas are restricted now. They’ve cut their visas.”

    Her comments drew an immediate rebuke from Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who said in a Facebook post that after being informed “that one of our colleague heads, instead of standing in solidarity, publicly accused us of cursing the U.S. administration,” he challenged “that leader to back her statement with facts.”

    Both countries are part of the 15-member Caribbean Community regional bloc known as CARICOM, which has been divided over the Trump administration’s buildup in the Southern Caribbean, whose legality has been questioned by U.S. lawmakers amid the president’s escalating pressure campaign against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

    Late Saturday, Persad-Bissessar accused CARICOM of not being “a reliable partner.” The organization “is deteriorating rapidly due to poor management, lax accountability, factional divisions, destabilizing policies, private conflicts between regional leaders and political parties and the inappropriate meddling in the domestic politics of member states,” she said.

    Partial travel ban

    Last week Antjgua and Dominica, both located in the eastern Caribbean, were placed under a restricted travel ban by the Trump administration, which cited their Citizenship by Investment programs, saying their lack of residency requirements pose challenges for screening and vetting.

    Sometimes referred to as a “golden passport,” the program is offered in five of the six independent Caribbean countries that make up the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and allows foreigners to gain a second citizenship in exchange for making an economic investment in the countries.

    The governments of Antigua and Dominica both immediately expressed concerns over the decision. Antigua said that it had previously amended its laws to address the residency requirement.

    In separate statements on Friday, Antiguan Prime Minister Browne and Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said their nations had been removed from the list of 15 newly announced countries. However, a State Department spokesperson responding to an inquiry from the Miami Herald on Saturday said both countries are still on the visa restriction list.

    The measure goes into effect on Jan. 1.

    CARICOM demands clarity

    Amid the confusion, CARICOM leaders are asking for clarity from U.S. officials and urged “an early engagement” with the affected Caribbean countries “to address outstanding concerns, consistent with the strong and longstanding partnership between the United States of America and CARICOM.”

    In a statement issued late Friday, the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, also stressed that the “decision was taken without prior consultation, especially in circumstances of its potential adverse effects on legitimate travel, people-to-people exchanges, and the social and economic well-being of these small states.”

    In response, Persad-Bissessar sais Saturday that “the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is not a party to the statement,” and “maintains its own position on the matter and recognizes the sovereign right of the United States to make decision in furtherance of its best interests.”

    Browne told the Miami Herald that in January, the U.S. plans to hold biometrics training to assist island-nations to strength their capacity to stop criminals from accessing their Citizenship by Investment Program.

    Persad-Bissessar said that’s not why Washington singled out two of the five Caribbean countries that offer the golden passports.

    A radar, a warning from Trinidad’s prime minister

    Amid the brewing tensions, Trinidad’s Foreign Ministry announced it would allow the U.S. military access to its airports after Persad-Bissessar acknowledged that the oil-rich country had also agreed to let the U.S install a radar in Tobago. She claimed that the installation is part of the U.S. efforts to go after drug smugglers.

    Trinidad is only seven miles from Venezuela. Browne and other leaders have said the Caribbean should remain a zone of peace amid the conflict and have spoken out about unintended consequences of the U.S. military strikes.

    During her address on Friday, Persad-Bissessar told Trinidadians not to “worry” about the radar or Venezuela.

    “I say it again, I stand within the bilateral relationship with the United States of America,” she said.

    “Understand where our help comes from. Understand who can protect and defend Trinidad and Tobago. Right now, there is only one country in the world can do it. They have the money. They have the equipment. They have the assets,” she said. “Trinidad and Tobago first.”

    Jacqueline Charles

    Miami Herald

    Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.

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    Jacqueline Charles

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  • Who is Ann Evans? Cruise ship passenger goes missing in Caribbean

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    Ann Evans, an American cruise ship passenger, has gone missing in the Caribbean after she did not return to her ship after a stop in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, on November 20.

    Newsweek has contacted the Police Force of Sint Maarten and the Holland America Line for comment outside of regular working hours via email.

    Why It Matters

    Missing persons cases are often the subject of fascination, and specific instances of people going missing on cruise ships regularly spark public interest. Attention is often drawn in the U.S. when American tourists go missing.

    There are no official figures for people going missing on cruises, and instances of this happening are rare, though earlier this year, an American woman named Jessica Collins went missing after she did not return to her cruise ship after a stop in the Caribbean. It was later revealed that Collins was safe and did not want to be found.

    The 2025 Netflix documentary titled ‘Amy Bradley is Missing’ about the 1998 case of a young woman vanishing without a trace while on a cruise may have increased interest in cases of missing persons on cruises.

    What To Know

    Evans is a 55-year-old American citizen.

    According to a missing person’s alert issued by the Police force of Sint Maarten, Evans departed Holland America Line’s Rotterdam cruise ship while it was docked at around 10 a.m.

    Evans then went on to join an organized bus tour of the island. She left the bus in Marigot, in the French side of Saint Martin, known as the Collectivity of Saint Martin.

    However, she did not return to the bus or the cruise ship.

    Law enforcement said in the missing persons alert that “Efforts to locate Ms. Evans are ongoing,” and that “law enforcement authorities on both the Dutch and French sides of the island have been alerted.

    The island of Sint Marteen, or Saint Martin, is located in the Caribbean, some 190 miles east of Puerto Rico. Since the 1600s, the island has been divided between the French and the Dutch. The French portion of the island is larger, but the Dutch portion is more populated. Evans went missing on the French side of the island.

    What People Are Saying

    The Police Force of Sint Marteen, in a missing persons alert: “KPSM and the French Gendarmerie are urging anyone with information about Ms. Evans’ whereabouts to come forward. If Ms. Evans herself sees this message, she is kindly requested to contact her family, the Police Force of Sint Maarten, or the French Gendarmerie as soon as possible to confirm her safety.”

    What Happens Next

    Efforts to locate Evans are ongoing.

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  • FACT FOCUS: There’s no proof each strike on alleged drug boats saves 25,000 lives, as Trump claims

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    President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that military strikes on suspected drug boats his administration has been carrying out for more than two months in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean are saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S.

    He most recently cited these numbers on Monday while answering questions from reporters after announcing a new initiative that will allow foreigners traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup next year to get interviews for visas more quickly.

    But experts say that this is a grossly simplistic interpretation of the situation.

    Here’s a closer look at the facts.

    TRUMP: “Every boat we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives.”

    THE FACTS: The numbers to support Trump’s claim don’t add up, and sometimes don’t exist. For example, people in the U.S. who die from drug overdoses each year are far fewer than the amount Trump suggests have been saved by the boat strikes his administration has carried out since September.

    “The statement that each of the administration’s strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats saves 25,000 lives is absurd,” said Carl Latkin, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University who studies substance use. “The evidence is similar to that of the moon being made of blue cheese. If you look carefully, you will see a resemblance. However, a close analysis of this claim suggests that it lacks all credibility.”

    According to the latest preliminary data from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 97,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the 12-month period that ended June 30. That’s down 14% from the estimated 113,000 for the previous 12-month period.

    Final CDC data reports 53,336 overdose deaths in 2024 and 75,118 in 2023.

    The U.S. military has attacked 21 boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since strikes began on Sept. 2, most recently on Nov. 15. Using Trump’s numbers, that would mean the strikes have prevented 525,000 fatal drug overdoses in the U.S — far more than the number of overdose deaths that have occurred in recent two-month periods. This essentially implies that the administration is saving more lives than would have ever been lost.

    Lori Ann Post, the director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Northwestern University, explained that “there’s no empirically sound way to say a single strike ‘saves 25,000 lives,’” even if the statement is interpreted more broadly to mean preventing substance use disorders and resulting ripple effects. Among the issues she pointed to are a lack of verifiable cargo data or published models linking such boat strikes to changes in drug use, as well as markets that will adapt to isolated supply losses.

    “The math and the data are not there,” said Post, who studies drug overdose deaths and economic drivers of the opioid crisis.

    Latkin added that claiming one lethal dose of a drug automatically translates to one death is a “very simple way of looking at it,” as different people have different tolerances.

    Trump has justified the attacks by saying the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America’s cities with drugs. Neither Trump nor his administration have publicly confirmed the amount of drugs allegedly destroyed in the strikes.

    White House spokesperson Anna Kelly reiterated Trump’s numbers when asked for evidence to support his claims about how many lives are being saved. She wrote in an email: “President Trump is right — any boat bringing deadly poison to our shores has the potential to kill 25,000 Americans or more. The President is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding in to our country and to bring those responsible for justice.”

    Latkin noted that this estimate also ignores the reality that even if the Trump administration manages to shut off one source of illegal drugs with its boat strikes, there will still be others. He offered a comparison to the fast food industry, explaining that getting rid of a couple of restaurants would not greatly improve Americans’ health since there are so many other sources where consumers could get the same or similar products.

    “It’s incredibly naive to think that reducing the supply in one place will eradicate the problem because it’s such a massive business,” he said.

    Opioids accounted for 73.4% of drug overdose deaths in 2024, according to the CDC. That includes 65.1% from illegally made fentanyls. But while the boat strikes have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea, fentanyl is typically trafficked to the U.S. overland from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

    Overdose death rates began steadily climbing in the 1990s because of opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths led by other opioids like heroin and — more recently — illicit fentanyl. New numbers from the CDC show that a decline that began in 2023 has continued. Experts aren’t certain about the reasons for the decline, but they cite a combination of possible factors. Among them are the end of the COVID-19 pandemic; years of efforts to increase the availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and addiction treatments; and changes to the drugs themselves.

    ___

    Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

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  • U.S. continues to beef up military presence in Caribbean with eyes on Venezuela

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    As the U.S. military strengthens its position off the coast of Venezuela, a new CBS News poll finds more than two-thirds of Americans say they are opposed to U.S. military action there. Charlie D’Agata is following the rising tension from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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  • Venezuela’s Maduro says he’s open to face-to-face talks with Trump as U.S. warships close in

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    Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro indicated Monday that he is open to direct talks with the Trump administration, calling for diplomacy instead of confrontation as the U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier joined almost a dozen other American warships off his country’s shores in a tense standoff. 

    The administration accuses Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking into the United States, but the Venezuelan leader says the U.S. is trying to overthrow him.

    “Those who want to speak with Venezuela will speak,” Maduro said in Spanish, adding in English: “Face-to-face.”

    The Venezuelan leader made the remarks on his television program, which aired in Venezuela on Monday. He was asked by an interviewer about reports that President Trump was considering speaking with him.

    Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during an event in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 15, 2025.

    Pedro Mattey/Anadolu/Getty


    “Venezuela’s position is unwavering: Absolute respect for international law. We firmly reject the threat or use of force to impose rules between countries,” Maduro said. “We reaffirm what the U.N. Charter, our Constitution, and our people say: Only through diplomacy should free nations understand each other. Governments must seek common ground on mutual interests only through dialogue.” 

    Maduro’s comments came hours after President Trump said he would be willing to talk with the Venezuelan leader, while not ruling out deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela. 

    Mr. Trump accuses Maduro of working in conjunction with drug cartels that traffic narcotics into the U.S., and the Venezuelan leader has been indicted in a U.S. court on narco-terrorism charges. President Trump recently told CBS News’ 60 Minutes that he believed Maduro’s days in power were numbered.

    Maduro has denied all accusations that he works with cartels and said he believes the drug trafficking claims are a pretext for a U.S. military operation to remove him from power.

    Maduro has “done tremendous damage to our country, primarily because of drugs, but really because we have that problem with other countries too, but more than any other country, the release of prisoners into our country has been a disaster,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. “He’s emptied his jails. Others have done that also. He has not been good to the United States. So we’ll see what happens. At a certain period of time, I’ll be talking to him.”

    The Trump administration has presented no evidence to date to substantiate claims that Venezuela has deliberately sent criminals to the U.S.

    On Sunday, Mr. Trump told reporters that “we may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like, they would like to talk.”

    cbsn-fusion-what-gerald-r-ford-strike-groups-deployment-caribbean-signals-pentagons-intentions-thumbnail.jpg

    The USS Gerald R. Ford is seen in an April 8, 2017 file photo taken in Newport News, Virginia.

    Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via Getty


    U.S. forces have been stepping up military exercises across the Caribbean for weeks, and CBS News national security correspondent Charlie D’Agata said the USS Gerald R. Ford — the most advanced aircraft carrier in the world — was within striking distance of Venezuela as of Tuesday morning.

    The Ford arrived as the U.S. moved to designate the “Cartel de Los Soles” group as a foreign terrorist organization — a shift Mr. Trump said could open the door to targeting Venezuelan assets and infrastructure.  

    D’Agata reported Tuesday that there are now about 15,000 U.S. troops at sea in the region and on land in Puerto Rico, where U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jets have been seen flying nearly around the clock.

    The U.S. military has conducted strikes against at least 22 vessels that the Trump administration alleges were transporting drugs to the U.S. from South America, killing at least 83 people.

    Maduro has condemned those strikes — the legality of which has also been questioned by rights groups, the United Nations, other countries in the region, and some lawmakers in the U.S. — since they began in September.

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  • USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier arrives in Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela

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    The most advanced aircraft carrier in the nation crossed into the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, the U.S. Navy said, marking a major buildup in the region. 

    The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford marks a major moment in what the Trump administration says is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. has asserted that Maduro is complicit with armed criminal gangs that smuggle drugs into the U.S., allegations that Maduro has rejected. And over the last two months, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against at least 22 vessels it alleges were ferrying drugs from South America to the U.S., killing at least 83 people.

    “Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said Sunday in a statement announcing the USS Ford’s arrival in the Caribbean Sea. 

    “The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland,” he added. Southern Command is the primary combatant unit for operations in the Caribbean and South America. 

    The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations, in what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dubbed Operation Southern Spear. The Ford’s carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said.

    The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier leaves Naval Station Norfolk on June 23, 2025, in Norfolk, Virginia.

    John Clark / AP


    Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the Ford’s carrier strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to “protect our nation’s security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”

    The administration has insisted that the buildup of warships is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were “narco-terrorists.” 

    President Trump said Friday that he’s “sort of” decided how to proceed on Venezuela, as top officials weigh potential military operations in the Latin American country. “I sort of have made up my mind” about the administration’s next steps in Venezuela, he told CBS News aboard Air Force One, but “I can’t tell you what it would be.”

    Top Trump administration officials, military and senior staff gathered at the White House for at least the third day in a row on Friday to discuss possible military operations in Venezuela, according to sources familiar with the matter. Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among those who spoke with Mr. Trump at the White House on Friday, the sources said.

    Venezuela was also discussed as part of the president’s daily intelligence briefing on Wednesday. CBS News has previously reported that Hegseth, Caine and other military officials presented Mr. Trump on Wednesday with options for potential operations in Venezuela in the coming days, including possible strikes on land.

    Meanwhile, Venezuela announced Tuesday that it was launching a massive military exercise across the country, reportedly involving some 200,000 forces.

    Many people both inside Venezuela, including Maduro himself, and observers outside the country believe the increased U.S. military pressure is aimed at forcing Maduro out of office.

    When asked in a recent interview with “60 Minutes” if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” Mr. Trump responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.” Mr. Trump last month also confirmed that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.

    The president has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations. He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the U.N. human rights chief and lawmakers, including some Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes. 

    Senate Republicans recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Mr. Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to support the resolution, which failed in a 49-51 vote.

    Experts disagree on whether or not American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 100,000-ton warship is sending a message, one expert said.

    “This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America,” Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region, told The Associated Press. “And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.”  

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  • U.S. military expands in Caribbean as Trump administration weighs action in Venezuela

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    U.S. military expands in Caribbean as Trump administration weighs action in Venezuela – CBS News










































    Watch CBS News



    The U.S. military is expanding operations in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico amid its deadly boat strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, while the Trump administration weighs military action against Venezuela.

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  • US military’s 20th strike on alleged drug-running boat kills 4 in the Caribbean

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    The U.S. military’s 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. military said Friday, coming as the Trump administration escalates its campaign in South American waters.The latest strike happened Monday, according to a social media post on Friday by U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America. The latest strike brings the death toll from the attacks that began in September to 80, with the Mexican Navy suspending its search for a survivor of a strike in late October after four days.Southern Command’s post on X shows a boat speeding over water before it’s engulfed in flames. The command said intelligence confirmed the vessel “was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.”Southern Command’s post marked a shift away from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s practice of typically announcing the attacks on social media, although he quickly reposted Southern Command’s statement.Hegseth had announced the previous two strikes on Monday after they had been carried out on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is expanding the U.S. military’s already large presence in the region by bringing in the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. The nation’s most advanced warship is expected to arrive in the coming days after traveling from the Mediterranean Sea.Hegseth on Thursday formally named the mission “Operation Southern Spear,” emphasizing the growing significance and permanence of the military’s presence in the region. Once the Ford arrives, the mission will encompass nearly a dozen Navy ships as well about 12,000 sailors and Marines.The Trump administration has insisted that the buildup of warships is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were “narcoterrorists.” The strikes have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea but also have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.Some observers say the aircraft carrier is a big new tool of intimidation against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. Experts disagree on whether American warplanes may bomb land targets to pressure Maduro to step down.Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. doesn’t recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last year’s election, as the leader of Venezuela and has called the government a “transshipment organization” that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs toward the U.S.Maduro has said the U.S. government is “fabricating” a war against him. Venezuela’s government this week touted a “massive” mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks.Trump has justified the attacks by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America’s cities with drugs.Lawmakers, including Republicans, have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes.Rubio and Hegseth met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who oversee national security issues last week, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes.Senate Republicans voted a day later to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

    WASHINGTON —

    The U.S. military’s 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. military said Friday, coming as the Trump administration escalates its campaign in South American waters.

    The latest strike happened Monday, according to a social media post on Friday by U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America. The latest strike brings the death toll from the attacks that began in September to 80, with the Mexican Navy suspending its search for a survivor of a strike in late October after four days.

    Southern Command’s post on X shows a boat speeding over water before it’s engulfed in flames. The command said intelligence confirmed the vessel “was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.”

    Southern Command’s post marked a shift away from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s practice of typically announcing the attacks on social media, although he quickly reposted Southern Command’s statement.

    Hegseth had announced the previous two strikes on Monday after they had been carried out on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is expanding the U.S. military’s already large presence in the region by bringing in the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. The nation’s most advanced warship is expected to arrive in the coming days after traveling from the Mediterranean Sea.

    Hegseth on Thursday formally named the mission “Operation Southern Spear,” emphasizing the growing significance and permanence of the military’s presence in the region. Once the Ford arrives, the mission will encompass nearly a dozen Navy ships as well about 12,000 sailors and Marines.

    The Trump administration has insisted that the buildup of warships is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were “narcoterrorists.” The strikes have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea but also have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.

    Some observers say the aircraft carrier is a big new tool of intimidation against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S. Experts disagree on whether American warplanes may bomb land targets to pressure Maduro to step down.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. doesn’t recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last year’s election, as the leader of Venezuela and has called the government a “transshipment organization” that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs toward the U.S.

    Maduro has said the U.S. government is “fabricating” a war against him. Venezuela’s government this week touted a “massive” mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks.

    Trump has justified the attacks by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America’s cities with drugs.

    Lawmakers, including Republicans, have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes.

    Rubio and Hegseth met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who oversee national security issues last week, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes.

    Senate Republicans voted a day later to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

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  • U.S. conducts 20th strike on alleged drug boat, killing 4 people in Caribbean Sea

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    The U.S. military conducted another strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat on Tuesday, a Pentagon official confirmed to CBS News. The attack targeted a vessel in the Caribbean Sea and killed four people on board. 

    Since September, U.S. forces have destroyed at least 21 vessels in 20 strikes in international waters, killing at least 80 people. The Trump administration says the operations — the details of which remain sparse — are part of an anti-drug offensive. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dubbed the wider anti-trafficking effort “Operation Southern Spear” later Thursday.

    The Pentagon has not revealed more information about the most recent strike. Previously, Hegseth has said the attacks have targeted “narco-terrorists” on known drug trafficking routes, although U.S. officials have not provided specific evidence that the vessels were smuggling drugs or posed a threat to the United States.

    Some experts say the strikes, which have taken place in both the Pacific and Caribbean, may violate international law even if they target known drug traffickers. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk this week urged an investigation into the legality of the strikes, warning of “strong indications” of “extrajudicial killings.”

    The latest strike comes amid an increasing U.S. military buildup in the region. This week, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and other warships had entered the Southern Command’s area of responsibility, which includes the Caribbean. The USS Ford is the largest aircraft carrier in the world, and the U.S. Navy’s most advanced.

    Senior military officials on Wednesday presented President Trump with updated options for potential operations in Venezuela, including strikes on land, according to multiple sources familiar with the meetings at the White House.  No final decision has been made, however, two of the sources told CBS News.

    Meanwhile, Venezuela announced Tuesday that it was launching a massive military exercise across the country, reportedly involving some 200,000 forces.

    Many people both inside Venezuela, including President Nicolas Maduro himself, and observers outside the country believe the increased U.S. military pressure is aimed at forcing Maduro out of office.

    When asked in a recent interview with “60 Minutes” if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” Mr. Trump responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.”

    Mr. Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of being complicit with armed criminal gangs that smuggle drugs into the U.S. — accusations the Venezuelan leader has rejected.

    Meanwhile, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday ordered his country to stop sharing intelligence with the U.S. He said the directive would “remain in force as long as the missile attacks on boats in the Caribbean continue.”

    Eleanor Watson,

    James LaPorta,

    Jennifer Jacobs and

    Haley Ott

    contributed to this report.

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  • U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in Caribbean region, escalating standoff with Maduro

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    The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest aircraft carrier.

    The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest aircraft carrier.

    U.S. Navy

    The world’s largest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has entered the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, further expanding what is already the biggest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean in decades, the Navy said Tuesday.

    The deployment — officially framed as a mission against narcotics trafficking and transnational crime — comes as tensions escalate between the U.S. and Venezuela, where the Nicolás Maduro regime is rushing to reinforce a troubled Russian- and Iranian-backed air defense network.

    The Ford Carrier Strike Group arrives as new antiaircraft platforms surface across Venezuela. Last week, Russian-made Buk-M2E medium-range surface-to-air missile systems were spotted inside Caracas’ La Carlota military airport, following an urgent appeal by Maduro for Moscow and Beijing to help prepare for what he describes as the threat of a U.S. invasion.

    The Buk-M2E, known by NATO as the SA-17 Grizzly, can engage multiple aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles simultaneously with its 9M317E interceptor, which has a range of up to 28 miles.

    Major U.S. buildup

    The Ford strike group, consisting of guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan and USS Winston S. Churchill, was ordered into the region after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed additional forces to support President Donald Trump’s mandate to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism threatening the U.S. homeland.

    “The enhanced U.S. force presence in the SOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a Navy press release. “These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs.”

    With more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft, the Ford gives U.S. commanders unmatched reach for sustained operations at sea. Its electromagnetic catapult and advanced arresting gear allow simultaneous launches and recoveries of aircraft, offering a significant edge in both combat and surveillance missions.

    The carrier will operate alongside the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its Marine Expeditionary Unit, under a joint task force said to be focused on dismantling criminal networks using maritime routes in the Caribbean and along the coasts of Central and South America.

    “Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” said Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of the Doral-based Southern Command.

    What the Ford brings to the table:

    The Ford Strike Group carries a formidable mix of air, surface and electronic-warfare assets. Its embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 includes:

    • F/A-18E/F Super Hornets

    • E/A-18G Growlers

    • E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes

    • MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawks

    • C-2A Greyhounds

    The accompanying destroyers bring layered air, surface and submarine defenses through the Aegis Combat System. The USS Winston S. Churchill, serving as Integrated Air and Missile Defense Commander, provides protection against long-range aerial threats.

    Venezuela builds its own shield

    The U.S. show of force has further strained relations with Caracas, with Maduro accusing Washington of planning “acts of aggression” under the guise of counter-narcotics missions. Since late September, Venezuela has been in a state of emergency, mobilized its armed forces and Bolivarian Militia, and unveiled what analysts describe as one of the most integrated—though unevenly functioning—air defense networks in Latin America.

    At its core are Russian-built S-300VM long-range missile systems capable of intercepting aircraft and ballistic missiles more than 125 miles away. Analysts believe three battalions protect Caracas and key industrial corridors. Buk-M2E, Pantsir-S1, upgraded S-125 Pechora-2M, and newly delivered Iranian Bavar-373 missile systems add medium- and short-range capacity.

    For close-range defense, Venezuela has distributed thousands of Igla-S MANPADS, Russian-made shoulder-launched surface-t0-air missile systems, across the country.

    Russian and Iranian lifelines

    Despite Venezuela’s crippling maintenance issues, Russia, Iran and China continue to support Maduro. Russian military transport aircraft reportedly delivered fresh missile components and Pantsir batteries in late October, and Russian advisors are assisting local operators. Iran has supplied Bavar-373 systems and cruise-missile technology; China contributes radars and electronic-warfare platforms.

    Even with the new hardware, experts estimate that only 25–40% of Venezuela’s radar and missile network is fully operational due to financial sanctions and a chronic shortage of spare parts. Still, the systems could challenge U.S. air operations near Venezuelan airspace.

    A recent Washington Post report said Maduro urgently asked China, Russia and Iran for additional radars, drone technology, aircraft repairs and potentially more missiles. It remains unclear what Beijing has promised.

    Strike speculation intensifies

    Reports over the past week indicate the U.S. military is expanding its presence in the Caribbean, fueling speculation about potential strikes inside Venezuela. The Miami Herald and Wall Street Journal have reported that the Trump administration has identified Venezuelan military sites allegedly tied to drug-trafficking networks as possible bombing targets.

    As Washington amasses what regional diplomats have described as an “armada,” anxiety is rising across Venezuela. Many citizens view the Ford’s arrival as a symbolic turning point that could signal the next phase of Trump’s pressure campaign.

    Speaking last week by video at the America Business Forum in Miami, top opposition leader María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, endorsed Trump’s approach, calling it “absolutely correct” and a watershed in the hemisphere’s fight against tyranny and organized crime.

    In August, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million, calling him “one of the world’s biggest drug traffickers” and the leader of the Cartel de los Soles. Bondi said he works with groups including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and other transnational criminal networks.

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    Antonio María Delgado

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  • New U.S. strike on alleged drug boat in Caribbean kills 3 people, bringing campaign’s death toll to at least 70

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    U.S. forces on Thursday struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from Washington’s controversial anti-narcotics campaign to at least 70.

    The United States began carrying out such strikes — which experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers — in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

    The U.S. strikes have destroyed at least 18 vessels so far — 17 boats and an alleged “narco sub” — but Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.

    Hegseth released aerial footage on X of the latest strike, which he said took place in international waters like the previous attacks and targeted “a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization.”

    The video showed a boat traveling through the water before exploding into flames.

    “Three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed,” Hegseth said, without any further identifying information.

    “To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs — we will kill you,” he wrote.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced another deadly U.S. strike on a boat he said was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth


    Like some previous videos released by the U.S. government, a section of the boat is obfuscated for unspecified reasons.

    President Donald Trump’s administration has built up significant forces in Latin America, in what it says is its campaign to stamp out drug trafficking.

    So far it has deployed six Navy ships in the Caribbean, sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, and ordered the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group to the region.

    The governments and families of those killed in the U.S. strikes have said many of the dead were civilians — primarily fishermen.

    Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused Mr. Trump of seeking to oust him.

    When asked in an interview with “60 Minutes” last week if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” Mr. Trump responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.”

    Mr. Trump last month also confirmed that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated several cartels as terrorist organizations, including Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua. 

    U.S. bombers have also conducted shows of force near Venezuela, flying over the Caribbean Sea off the country’s coast on at least four occasions since mid-October.

    Maduro — who has been indicted on drug charges in the United States — insists there is no drug cultivation in his country, which he says is used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine against its will.

    The Trump administration has said in a notice to Congress that the United States is engaged in “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, describing them as terrorist groups as part of its justification for the strikes.

    The United Nations has asked the United States to cease its campaign, with rights chief Volker Turk saying the killings have taken place “in circumstances that find no justification in international law.”

    Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed a small group of congressional leaders Wednesday on the growing military campaign, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes.

    Republicans emerged either staying silent or expressing confidence in the campaign. Democrats said Congress needs more information on how the strikes are conducted and the legal justification for actions that critics say violate international and U.S. law by killing alleged drug smugglers on the high seas.

    On Thursday, Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trump’s high-stakes campaign against Maduro.

    In August, the Trump administration doubled a bounty for Maduro, offering a $50 million reward for his arrest.

    The Associated Press

    contributed to this report.

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  • Pete Hegseth announces new strike on “narco-terrorists” in Caribbean

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    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces had attacked a vessel operated by “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean, killing three people on board.

    “Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” Hegseth said in a post to X.

    “The vessel was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters. No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed,” he said.

    Including the three on Thursday, at least 69 people have been killed in strikes by U.S. forces on vessels allegedly smuggling drugs from Caribbean and Pacific waters, according to figures from President Donald Trump’s administration.

    This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow. 

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