Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was interviewed on the Russian-funded RT (formerly Russia Today) network. “Well, we have eight destroyer warships in the Caribbean,” he said. “100 missiles pointed at our heads. They have a nuclear submarine, and now they say they have Puerto Rico. That the head of the Pentagon arrived in Puerto Rico, and the governor of Puerto Rico said that Puerto Rico was the base for a military operation against Venezuela. The governor of Puerto Rico said that she is joining a military plan. I tell the governor of Puerto Rico, if you say you’re going to invade Venezuela, come first. You heard you get off the first boat, that the Venezuelan women will be waiting for you here, and I know that the people of Puerto Rico will oppose Puerto Rico becoming a military base to attack their brothers in South America, their brothers in the Caribbean.”
Who’s invading whom?
Maduro threatened to invade and “liberate” Puerto Rico earlier this year. He called on South American neighbors Cuba and Nicaragua to join him in the invasion, which he said he would take place “with Brazilian troops.” Both the Governor of Puerto Rico and the resident commissioner called on the federal government to support and defend Puerto Rico in the event of an attack. On closer examination, the threat appeared to be more theater than reality.
Did the Governor of Puerto Rico threaten Venezuela? On X, she posted this:
Jenniffer González
@Jenniffer
Sep 8
“This fight against drug trafficking, in which @POTUS Trump is investing, will firmly position Puerto Rico as the United States’ border in the Caribbean. For the first time, I believe we are addressing the problem at its root—by targeting the source of the drugs. 🇺🇸 🇵🇷”
…and this:
Jenniffer González
@Jenniffer
Sep 8
“Honored to welcome Secretary of War Pete Hegseth along with General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Puerto Rico. We thank @POTUS Trump and his Administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro. We are proud to support America First policies that secure our borders and combat illicit activities to protect Americans and our homeland.”
True, Governor Gonzalez-Colon called Maduro a “narco-dictator,” but she did not say, as Maduro claimed, “that Puerto Rico was the base for a military operation against Venezuela.”
The governor spoke of Puerto Rico as “the United States border in the Caribbean” and commented on “the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States.”
On the other hand, his words to her — “I tell the governor of Puerto Rico, if you say you’re going to invade Venezuela, come first. You heard you get off the first boat, that the Venezuelan women will be waiting for you here” — certainly contain a veiled threat.
Is the U.S. military in Puerto Rico?
The U.S. military has a regular presence in Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States, with military bases and the Puerto Rico National Guard. Currently, there are stealth fighter planes, warships and a nuclear attack submarine, and military personnel in Puerto Rico.
Defense Secretary Hegseth, in a surprise visit to the Island, described 300 soldiers at Munoz Air Base as “American warriors.” He also visited one of the warships and assured the sailors on the ship that they were not in a training exercise, as previously reported. “Make no mistake about it, what you’re doing right now, it’s not training,” he told them. “This is the real-world exercise on behalf of the vital national interests of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people.”
There were some demonstrators protesting the military buildup, organized by the Mothers Against War collective, at the Muñiz Air Base in Carolina, but other responses were positive, focusing on the defense of the Island and expressing hope that the buildup would be permanent.
Deserving statehood
Puerto Rico has been an essential strategic location for the United States since the beginning of the 20th century. Puerto Rican men and women have been an important part of the U.S. military for centuries. Now, the U.S. military is counting on Puerto Rico in its plans to battle drug cartels. Puerto Rico is stepping up to the challenge. The appropriate response from Congress is to admit Puerto Rico as a state. Tell your legislators that it is time to get on the right side of history.
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