Amid military exercises, PR Senate leader expresses support for US’ get-tough policy against Maduro regime

U.S. military exercises were staged in Arroyo late last week. In an open letter, Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz labeled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as “an illegitimate narco-leader, an international criminal, and a direct threat to the American nation and the Caribbean.” He emphasized that drug trafficking from Venezuela directly affects the safety of Puerto Rico and the United States. (Facebook via Eric Bachier Román - Alcalde Arroyo)

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz has published an open letter addressed to the United States and the international community, expressing support for President Donald Trump and his actions against Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.

The letter coincides with the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug cartels in the Caribbean. The deployment follows an incident last week in which two aircraft from the Maduro regime flew near a U.S. Navy ship in international waters. The Pentagon described the flyover as a “highly provocative move” intended to disrupt counter-narcotics operations (see related story on page 12).

In his letter, Rivera Schatz labeled Maduro as “an illegitimate narco-leader, an international criminal, and a direct threat to the American nation and the Caribbean,” emphasizing that drug trafficking from Venezuela directly affects the safety of Puerto Rico and the United States.

“Drug trafficking is not a distant problem,” the veteran New Progressive Party (NPP) senator wrote. “Every kilo of cocaine that leaves Venezuela -- protected by the Cartel and Maduro’s accomplices -- is a bullet fired at our youth, a threat to the stability of the nation and the Caribbean region.”

Rivera Schatz also pointed out that Puerto Rico has been used as a launchpad for drug trafficking into the United States, leading to increased weapons, violence and fatalities in local communities.

Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) Sen. María de Lourdes Santiago criticized the resumption of military exercises by the United States armed forces on Puerto Rican soil, calling it a deliberate strategy to reinforce colonial control. She cited the imposition of the Financial Oversight and Management Board and its ineffective performance, as well as inaction regarding tax evasion laws, mismanagement of recovery funds after natural disasters, various forms of displacement, neglect of public services, and the worsening conditions that drive emigration.

“No one believes in the innocence of those who support it,” she remarked.

The developments have sparked discussions about the potential partial reopening of the former U.S. Naval Base at Roosevelt Roads, which has been closed for over 20 years, for military purposes.

Last week, NPP Sens. Nitza Morán Trinidad and Carmelo Ríos Santiago introduced Senate Resolution 286, which calls for an investigation into the current state of the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Ceiba. The measure aims to evaluate the feasibility and impact of potentially repurposing Roosevelt Roads for national security by the Army.

“For decades, Roosevelt Roads represented an economic engine for the eastern region of the island,” Morán Trinidad said. “Today, we have a responsibility to seriously and strategically consider the possibility of its facilities once again playing a key role -- not only in the defense of the Caribbean and the Americas but also in the economic revitalization of Ceiba and the surrounding municipalities.”