
Important Takeaways:
- In a letter addressed to Trump, Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said, “[J]ust a few days after holding an illegitimate swearing-in ceremony in a desperate attempt to cling to power in Venezuela,” Maduro “publicly proposed an invasion of Puerto Rico.”
- Maduro, who was sworn in for a third six-year presidential term despite international condemnation of his recent reelection as illegitimate, made the threat Saturday at the end of the “International Anti-Fascist Festival” hosted in Caracas. The socialist dictator made an apparent reference to Trump’s remarks eyeing U.S. control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, stating: “Just as the North has an agenda of colonization, we have an agenda of liberation.” Maduro vowed that the “freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we will achieve it with Brazilian troops,” according to Latin America Reports.
- “This is an open threat to the United States, our national security, and stability in the region,” González-Colón told Trump. “I trust your incoming administration will swiftly respond and make 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.”
- González-Colón, who took office just earlier this month, went on to say that Puerto Rico has been an “essential part of the United States” since 1898, and she reiterated how Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship in 1917 and “have contributed to every aspect of American life, including the hundreds of thousands of service members from the Island who have fought alongside our fellow citizens in every U.S. military conflict since World War I.”
- “Contrary to Maduro’s and other adversaries’ calls for independence, the people of Puerto Rico have repeatedly rejected this option. Instead, we have voted to strengthen our union with the United States through statehood – most recently in the November 5, 2024, plebiscite held alongside our general elections,” González-Colón wrote, referring to the latest nonbinding referendum regarding Puerto Rico’s political status.
- The results showed 56.87% voted in favor of U.S. statehood, while 12.29% opted for “free association with the United States.” Meanwhile, 30.84% voted for independence.
- She noted that the United States shares a maritime boundary with Venezuela in Puerto Rico.
- “Maduro’s calls for an invasion are a clear attempt to get rid of the United States’ presence and grow his influence in the area,” González-Colón wrote, telling Trump that she’s “ready to work with you and your administration to counter this and other threats posed by the illegitimate Maduro dictatorship and support the people of Venezuela in their quest for freedom.”
- “Maduro’s days are numbered,” the congressman added. “If the dictator in Venezuela does not want to end up like other dictators Mussolini and Gaddafi, he should leave Venezuela without delay.”
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