An American ship heads to Trinidad and Tobago amid tensions in the Caribbean
A U.S. military ship docked Sunday in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, amid tensions in the Caribbean sparked by U.S. military action against boats accused of trying to smuggle fentanyl into the United States, the Associated Press reported.
The ship is a guided-missile destroyer called the USS Gravely, according to the Associated Press. A senior military official based in Trinidad and Tobago said the ship’s movement had been planned recently.
Trinidad and Tobago is located just north of Venezuela, not too far from the country that the Trump administration has verbally criticized in recent weeks.
On Friday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller avoided reporters’ questions about the possibility of deploying ground forces on Venezuelan territory. Miller said he would “not now or ever enter into any detailed discussion” about potential military options, but pointed to Venezuela as a “central hub” for drug, weapons and human trafficking.
Senators from both parties have expressed concern about Trump’s unilateral approach to military strikes targeting alleged drug cartel boats in the Caribbean.
Many lawmakers raised questions about the legitimacy of the military campaign, which last week witnessed its tenth attack in recent months on ships that officials claimed were trafficking drugs with the aim of reaching American shores.
Earlier this month, President Trump used an expletive to advise Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro not to conflict with US forces.
“He does not want to oppose the United States,” Trump said during a lunch meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
