Dignity Project asks Trump to center anti-drug trafficking operations in PR

Dignity Project President Nilda Pérez

By The Star Staff

The Dignity Project (Proyecto Dignidad), the conservative party of Puerto Rico, announced Thursday that it has formally petitioned President Donald Trump to recognize Puerto Rico as a strategic center for federal operations against drug trafficking in the Caribbean.

The proposal requests the allocation of all necessary resources for investigation, intelligence and law enforcement efforts aimed at dismantling criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and arms smuggling. The ultimate goal is to protect the population and prevent the island from serving as an access point to the United States.

“Puerto Rico has a strategic position and is prepared to play an active role in the fight against international organized crime,” Dignity Project President Nilda Pérez said. “This collaboration will not only enhance the security of our island, but will also contribute to stability and peace throughout the Caribbean.”

The announcement also highlighted Trump’s recent actions against the socialist regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, noting that the regime “maintains influence and ties within political structures in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Nicaragua.” Some of those actors function as public allies of Maduro, while others collaborate with criminal networks such as the Cartel of the Suns and the Tren de Aragua, as well as related ideological groups, the Dignity Project noted. The alliances, the party said, have facilitated drug trafficking and other illicit activities, posing a direct threat to the security of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the United States.

Over the past three years, Puerto Rico has witnessed multiple federal seizures and operations. The U.S. Coast Guard has reported confiscating more than 53 metric tons of drugs, including individual shipments exceeding four tons. Since the U.S. Navy’s withdrawal from Vieques, the island has transitioned from a controlled military area to a critical hub for drug trafficking in the Caribbean.

“These events demonstrate that federal intervention is not just an option, but an urgent necessity,” Pérez emphasized. “Puerto Rico stands ready to assume a strategic role and collaborate closely with federal agencies to ensure the safety of our population and the hemisphere.”