Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s most advanced and powerful warship, to waters off Latin America — a major show of force underscoring President Trump’s escalating campaign against international narcotrafficking networks.
The Ford, which carries about 5,000 sailors and more than 75 attack, surveillance, and support aircraft, joins roughly 10,000 American troops already stationed in the region since late August. The addition transforms the U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean into one of the most formidable strike groups in decades.
President Trump’s tough stance against drug cartels has sparked backlash from several Latin American governments, particularly Venezuela and Colombia. Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has accused the U.S. of preparing an invasion and mobilized millions of civilians into the Bolivarian Militia. Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has condemned recent U.S. actions, deepening a rapidly deteriorating relationship with Washington.
Tensions between Trump and Petro intensified after the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Petro, his wife, his son, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti—a former campaign chief—for alleged drug trafficking. They were placed on the Specially Designated Nationals list on October 24, 2025. Days earlier, President Trump accused Petro of being an “illegal drug leader,” pointing to record cocaine output.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed calls for de-escalation, describing Petro as an “unhinged leader,” and noting, “I don’t think the president, frankly, is interested in that at this point.” Trump later warned that Colombia is “doing very poorly” and cautioned that its president “better watch it, or we’ll take very serious action against him and his country.”
Petro fired back, vowing to sue President Trump in U.S. court, saying he would “defend myself judicially with American lawyers in the American justice system” against what he called “slanders.” He also accused the Trump administration of committing “genocides and murders by those in power in the Caribbean.”
The feud has been fueled by a wave of U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters. Over the past two months, the Trump administration has authorized ten strikes, killing at least 43 people, including six alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang in the most recent operation. This week, U.S. forces carried out two new strikes in the Pacific Ocean—their first in that region—killing five additional suspects.
Critics, including legal experts, have accused the administration of violating international law, arguing that it is illegal to target individuals who are not actively engaged in hostilities. The White House insists the operations are lawful, with Trump having “determined” that drug cartels’ activities constitute armed attacks against the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the actions, calling the cartels “narcoterrorists” and “the Al-Qaida of the Western Hemisphere.” He said Venezuelan territory is routinely used by traffickers with the cooperation of the Maduro regime and emphasized that each strike follows “long-term tracking” of its targets.
Defense Secretary Hegseth pledged that operations would continue “day after day,” describing the mission as a campaign against “narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities.” Rubio added that the U.S. continues to coordinate with regional partners — including Mexico, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and Colombia’s military — through a “very rigorous process.”
Despite those ties, Rubio criticized President Petro personally, calling him “a lunatic” and “not well,” while insisting Colombia’s military remains “pro-American.”
Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo denounced the U.S. strikes as “disproportionate and outside international law,” arguing that those aboard the targeted vessels “had no chance to defend themselves.” President Petro went further, labeling the attacks “war crimes.” In an interview with CBS News, he said Colombia receives no advance notice of the strikes and that many victims are low-level workers, not cartel bosses. “If you want to be effective, capture the leaders,” Petro said. “Killing the business workers is easy but pointless.”
Warning against any potential U.S. ground invasion, Petro drew from Colombia’s history of insurgency: “When farmers are attacked, they go into the mountains and take up arms. It’s better to talk instead.” Still, he said he would be willing to meet with President Trump for dialogue, asserting that his government can withstand aid cuts and U.S. trade pressure.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is weighing expanded operations in Venezuela, including the potential for land-based strikes aimed at removing Maduro. Officials said the USS Gerald R. Ford’s deployment signals a new phase in Washington’s effort to intensify pressure on the Venezuelan regime and curb narcotrafficking across the hemisphere.