Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday. It was an unannounced visit that signals the Pentagon is ramping up its fight against Latin American drug cartels.
Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón posted images of Hegseth arriving alongside Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Caine.
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“We thank [President] 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,” González-Colón wrote on X.
The arrival comes after hundreds of U.S. Marines deployed to Puerto Rico for what officials said was a training exercise.
On Monday, Hegseth spoke to some of those sailors. He said they were charged with ensuring “the American homeland is kept safe.” He told them, “Narco terrorists and drug traffickers are on notice.”
Recent efforts against drug cartels
The visit to Puerto Rico is the latest move by the Trump administration to combat Latin American drug cartels. It comes just days after a U.S. strike in the Caribbean Sea targeted a Venezuelan boat, resulting in 11 deaths.
Trump claimed the attack killed members of a drug cartel and the gang Tren de Aragua. However, the White House hasn’t released evidence.
Vice President JD Vance endorsed the strike on X. He wrote, “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”
Over the weekend, outside a military base in Puerto Rico, “Mothers Against War” led a protest. It accused the administration of using cartels as a pretext for a wider conflict with Venezuela and the Maduro regime.
The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is considering launching missions directly from Puerto Rico, including fighter jet deployments.
