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The politician of Puerto Rico pleaded for President-elect Trump to intervene aft Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro threatened to invade the U.S. land territory.
In a missive addressed to Trump, Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said, "[J]ust a fewer days aft holding an illegitimate swearing-in ceremonial successful a hopeless effort to cling to powerfulness successful Venezuela," Maduro "publicly projected an penetration of Puerto Rico."
Maduro, who was sworn successful for a 3rd six-year statesmanlike word contempt planetary condemnation of his caller reelection arsenic illegitimate, made the menace Saturday astatine the extremity of the "International Anti-Fascist Festival" hosted successful Caracas. The socialist dictator made an evident notation to Trump's remarks eyeing U.S. power of the Panama Canal and Greenland, stating: "Just arsenic the North has an docket of colonization, we person an docket of liberation." Maduro vowed that the "freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we volition execute it with Brazilian troops," according to Latin America Reports.
"This is an unfastened menace to the United States, our nationalist security, and stableness successful the region," González-Colón told Trump. "I spot your incoming medication volition swiftly respond and marque wide to the Maduro authorities that, nether your leadership, the United States, volition support American lives and sovereignty and volition not bow down to the threats of petty, murderous dictators."
González-Colón, who took bureau conscionable earlier this month, went connected to accidental that Puerto Rico has been an "essential portion of the United States" since 1898, and she reiterated however Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship successful 1917 and "have contributed to each facet of American life, including the hundreds of thousands of work members from the Island who person fought alongside our chap citizens successful each U.S. subject struggle since World War I."
"Contrary to Maduro's and different adversaries' calls for independence, the radical of Puerto Rico person repeatedly rejected this option. Instead, we person voted to fortify our national with the United States done statehood – astir precocious successful the November 5, 2024, plebiscite held alongside our wide elections," González-Colón wrote, referring to the latest nonbinding referendum regarding Puerto Rico’s governmental status.
The results showed 56.87% voted successful favour of U.S. statehood, portion 12.29% opted for "free relation with the United States." Meanwhile, 30.84% voted for independence.
The enactment of retaining the island's existent presumption arsenic a U.S. territory, arsenic good arsenic U.S. citizenship, was not included connected the referendum ballot.
González-Colón, a Republican and subordinate of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, besides reiterated however Puerto Rico is location to Fort Buchanan – the lone U.S. Army installation successful the Caribbean – and National Guard facilities similar Camp Santiago, Fort Allen, and Muniz Air National Guard Base, "all of which strategically enactment exercises and operations conducted by the U.S. subject and our partners." The missive went connected to accidental however Puerto Rico besides hosts "critical U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection assets and units that assistance unafraid our borders and combat the cause trafficking networks that money the Maduro narco-regime."
She noted that the United States shares a maritime bound with Venezuela successful Puerto Rico.
"Maduro’s calls for an penetration are a wide effort to get escaped of the United States’ beingness and turn his power successful the area," González-Colón wrote, telling Trump that she’s "ready to enactment with you and your medication to antagonistic this and different threats posed by the illegitimate Maduro dictatorship and enactment the radical of Venezuela successful their quest for freedom."
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González-Colón besides said she looks guardant to meaningful discussions to "best heighten Puerto Rico’s national information role and instrumentality a beardown stance against the increasing beingness of our adversaries successful the region."
Rep. Mario Rafael Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., commended González-Colón's "leadership successful condemning the absurd and pathetic threats to Puerto Rico from Venezuela’s dictator – a dictator who is desperately clinging to illegitimate power."
"What a opposition to the courageousness and inspiration demonstrated by the Venezuelan radical and heroine María Corina Machado," Díaz-Balart wrote. "With Biden successful the White House, adversaries specified arsenic those wrong the Maduro narco-dictatorship person been emboldened by his anemic argumentation of appeasement. But successful little than a week, a caller overseas argumentation volition statesman wherever state and U.S. nationalist information interests are paramount. Friends volition beryllium treated arsenic friends, and adversaries arsenic adversaries."
"Maduro’s days are numbered," the congressman added. "If the dictator successful Venezuela does not privation to extremity up similar different dictators Mussolini and Gaddafi, helium should permission Venezuela without delay."
When Maduro was sworn successful past week, Biden defended his determination not to toughen sanctions connected Venezuela’s vigor sector, saying helium was disquieted it could person created an opening to beryllium filled by Iranian oil.
Despite sanctioning a fig of Maduro officials, the medication did not extremity a licence it granted lipid elephantine Chevron to export Venezuelan lipid to the U.S. That licence has importantly boosted lipid production, and authorities coffers, arsenic a result.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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