‘We are helplessly drowning’: Trinidad backs US military deployment in Caribbean

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has thrown its full support behind the deployment of U.S. military assets to the Caribbean region, stating the move is intended “to destroy the terrorist drug cartels.”

This follows reports that the United States ordered the deployment of 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels, according to CNN.

In a press release issued today, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar assured the public that “The only persons who should be worried about the activity of the US military are those engaged in or enabling criminal activity. Law abiding citizens have nothing to fear.”

The Prime Minister’s statement directly addressed regional concerns and internal criticism, including a clear position on the role of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “The Trinidad and Tobago government has not engaged and has no intention of engaging CARICOM on this matter; each member state can speak for themselves on this issue,” the release said.