Latin America warns of war as U.S. expands Caribbean military presence

A series of high-profile visits by senior U.S. defense officials to the Caribbean has heightened concerns that Washington may be preparing for potential military action against Venezuela. As tensions rise, regional organizations and governments are urging restraint and warning of the risk of conflict.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. Following his meeting with President Luis Abinader, the country said it would allow the United States to use restricted areas of the San Isidro Air Base and Las Americas International Airport as part of joint efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Hegseth's trip came as the United States intensifies its military presence in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Cane visited Trinidad and Tobago for talks with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other officials. A U.S. military statement said discussions covered regional challenges, including drug trafficking, illegal weapons, human smuggling, and transnational crime. His visit followed a stop in Puerto Rico on Monday, where he inspected U.S. forces.

Trinidad and Tobago, located just across the Paria Gulf from Venezuela, held joint military exercises with the U.S. Marine Corps from November 16 to 21.

Since September, Washington has ramped up its military presence in the region under what it calls an intensified counternarcotics campaign. U.S. forces have sunk 21 alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, resulting in more than 80 deaths. Roughly 15,000 personnel – including troops aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford – are now deployed, marking the largest U.S. buildup in the Caribbean in decades.

Venezuela accuses Washington of using counternarcotics operations as a pretext to undermine President Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump has said he authorized CIA covert operations in Venezuela and has not ruled out military action, while also expressing openness to dialogue.

Regional backlash

The U.S. troop buildup has drawn criticism across Latin America. On Tuesday, Organization of American States Secretary-General Albert Ramdin urged both the United States and Venezuela to de-escalate, stressing that the region does not want a war.

Speaking at a virtual press conference, Ramdin said he supported efforts to counter organized crime but stressed they must comply with international law. "We don't want any war in our hemisphere. Peace is truly, ultimately, what everyone in this hemisphere wants. No one wins in a war," he said.

He added he was he was "not in favor of any incident leading to an escalation of a war-like situation," and hoped both countries would will "exercise restraint and ensure that other avenues can be found diplomatically, through negotiations, to resolve their problems."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Tuesday that the United States is using fabrications to justify military operations against Venezuela with the aim of toppling its government and seizing control of its oil resources. He called the U.S. buildup "aggressive," warning it could trigger mass casualties and "unimaginable instability" across the region.

Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Wednesday that the country is combating drug trafficking "without mercy," while condemning U.S. missile strikes on boats in the Caribbean, which he said violated international law and human rights.

Saab said Venezuela does not produce cocaine or marijuana, and fewer than 5 percent of the drugs destined for the United States transit through Venezuelan territory. Over the past eight years, he said, prosecutors have filed 60,820 drug-related charges against Venezuelan nationals, resulting in 21,370 convictions, and have helped seize more than 370 tonnes of narcotics.

"They have violated international law," the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as "all human rights treaties," Saab said of the U.S. operations in international waters. "If a vessel does not pose an immediate danger, the use of lethal force constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law."

A new CBS/YouGov poll in the United States found that 76 percent of Americans believe the president has not adequately justified the country's aggression toward Venezuela, and 70 percent oppose military action against the South American nation.