Maduro asks LatAm nations for joint response to U.S. military buildup in Caribbean
Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro on Sunday urged Latin American and Caribbean nations to deliver a “unified response” to what he called an escalating U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, accusing Washington of threatening regional peace and sovereignty.
In a letter addressed to the heads of state of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CELAC, Maduro called on the bloc to “categorically reject” U.S. deployments and defend the region’s “sovereignty, peace, and self-determination.”
The letter, released by Venezuela’s government during a CELAC summit in Santa Marta, Colombia, framed the situation as a new form of “siege” comparable to 19th-century imperial campaigns.
Maduro said U.S. naval and air units — including aircraft carriers, missile destroyers and nuclear submarines — had been deployed in operations he claimed had caused civilian deaths. He cited reports by United Nations experts and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that he said described some of the incidents as “extrajudicial executions.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil echoed the criticism on Telegram, thanking the United Nations for what he described as its “stance against U.S. attacks” on vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking. Gil said “threats and aggressions against a region declared a zone of peace continue,” and called on multilateral organizations to defend peace and national sovereignty.
According to the Venezuelan government, the U.S. Defense Department has reported strikes on 20 vessels allegedly transporting narcotics in the past two months, with more than 75 people killed. U.S. authorities have said the operations target transnational drug-trafficking networks.
Washington has not responded to Maduro’s latest remarks but has previously accused senior Venezuelan officials of links to a state-backed narcotics network known as the Cartel de los Soles.
Maduro said the current situation represents a revival of the “Monroe Doctrine,” calling it a policy of intervention aimed at regime change and control of natural resources. The 1823 policy under President James Monroe warned European powers against further colonization in the Western Hemisphere, and has been used to justify U.S. intervention in Latin America.
“Venezuela does not and will not accept any form of tutelage,” he said. “We strongly reject the resurgence of the Monroe Doctrine and uphold the Bolivarian Doctrine.”
He invoked Latin American independence leader Simón Bolívar and said the region now has “a new opportunity to rebuild continental unity.”
The letter came as the United States expands its campaign against drug cartels in Latin America, focusing on maritime routes in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that two boats suspected of transporting drugs were destroyed under orders from President Donald Trump, killing six suspected traffickers. The Pentagon said the actions were part of a wider effort to target transnational criminal groups at sea.
“Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people,” Hegseth said.
The U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean is one of the largest in decades. It includes a Marine air-ground task force aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and two San Antonio-class ships, with more than 2,000 Marines assigned for rapid-response missions.
Nearly 10,000 U.S. Navy and Marine personnel are now operating in the region, supported by a cruiser, several destroyers, and a Los Angeles-class submarine armed with precision-guided missiles. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has also been ordered to the Caribbean, while 10 F-35 stealth fighters based in Puerto Rico provide air cover over the area.
