U.S. deploys aircraft to Venezuela as military tensions escalate

The United States deployed P-8 Poseidon aircraft to Venezuela, according to a Wednesday statement from Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez, R-Fla. Gimenez, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee, noted that the aircraft specialized in maritime patrol and defending against submarine attacks. He added that the $50 million reward that the Trump administration issued for the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this month still stands.

Reports emerged earlier this week that three U.S. Navy destroyers were deployed near Venezuela, along with thousands of military personnel. WORLD reached out to the U.S. Southern Command spokesman Steven McLoud to confirm the reports, but did not receive a reply. U.S. military movements came after Maduro gave a televised speech calling on millions of militiamen throughout the country to be ready and take up arms. No empire will touch Venezuela’s sacred soil, nor any South American soil, he said.

Why are tensions rising? The Trump administration took issue with Maduro’s rise to power and his support of drug trafficking. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the Maduro regime as illegitimate during a Tuesday press conference. Maduro is a fugitive cartel leader who has been indicted for trafficking drugs into the United States, she said. The administration planned to use every tool America has to stop drugs from flooding into the country and bring those responsible to justice, Leavitt said.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report for more about the $50 million reward for Maduro’s arrest.