Venezuela's Maduro Threatens to Invade Puerto Rico
Over the weekend, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro threatened to "liberate" the island of Puerto Rico from the United States, an unexpected and unusual threat.
"Just as in the north they have a colonization agenda, we have a liberation agenda," said Maduro at an event in Caracas. "And our agenda was written by [Latin American independence leader] Simón Bolívar. The freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we will achieve it."
Last week, Maduro took the oath of office for his third term, following an election that was criticized by international observers for widespread irregularities; publicly available vote tallies suggest that he likely did not win the majority of the vote. The U.S. does not recognize him as Venezuela's legitimate leader and has long accused Maduro of human rights abuses, vote-rigging and cocaine smuggling. He was indicted on narco-terrorism charges in a U.S. federal court in 2020, and on Friday, the Biden administration increased the bounty for Maduro's capture to $25 million.
Puerto Rico is more than 400 nautical miles away from Venezuela's shores, and the ability of the Venezuelan armed forces to project power is limited by the size of its navy; Venezuela has four tank landing ships with which to mount an amphibious operation, all built in the 1980s. After years of U.S. sanctions, this fleet's operational status is unknown. While the threat of a Venezuelan invasion may be limited, Puerto Rico's governor has called on the incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Donald Trump to push back on Maduro's aggressive statements.
"A few days after holding an illegitimate swearing-in ceremony, the socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro publicly proposed an invasion of Puerto Rico," wrote Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, noting that Puerto Ricans have voted to remain part of the U.S. "I trust your incoming administration will swiftly respond and make it clear to the Maduro regime that, under your leadership, the United States will protect American lives and sovereignty and will not bow down to the threats of petty, murderous dictators."
Multiple elected officials from the mainland U.S. have also voiced outrage at Maduro's threat.
"Maduro's a brutal dictator," said Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL). "Now, he has the audacity to threaten Puerto Rico and American national security. We must support Venezuelans fighting for freedom and hold Cuba, China, Russia and Iran accountable for propping up this murderous regime."
Top image: The Korean-built LST Capana, delivered to Venezuela in 1983 (Carlos E. Perez / CC BY SA 4.0)
