September 6, 2025
After Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged the drugs were heading to Trinidad and other Caribbean nations, Persad-Bissessar celebrated the Navy’s success.
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued praise to the U.S. after the military issued a strike on a boat suspected of carrying drugs through the Caribbean, in addition to encouraging the U.S. to keep up with the violent killings, Associated Press reports.
President Donald Trump made the Sept. 2 announcement that 11 people on the boat that left Venezuela, in close proximity to Trinidad and Tobago, were killed. After Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged the drugs were heading to Trinidad and other Caribbean nations, Persad-Bissessar celebrated the Navy’s success.
“I, along with most of the country, am happy that the U.S. naval deployment is having success in their mission,” Persad-Bissessar said in a statement.
“The pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the U.S. military should kill them all violently.”
Her celebration comes as the Caribbean nation has suffered from an influx of violence, resulting in two states of emergencies. The Prime Minister said restrictions on illegal guns, drugs and human trafficking could result in a decrease in violence moving forward.
“Our country has been ravaged by bloody violence and addiction because of the greed of the cartels,” Persad-Bissessar said. “The slaughter of our people is fueled by evil cartel traffickers.”
According to PBS, Trump alleged the boat hit in the strike was operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. While the White House failed to explain how the U.S. military concluded that those aboard were gang members, in July 2025, Trinidad and Tobago government officials labeled Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization, meaning officials have the authority to freeze any property, funds or assets controlled or owned by the gang.
It has been confirmed that the gang has a presence in Trinidad, but on a small scale. A high-ranking police official familiar with the gang’s dealings says Tren de Aragua works with bigger gangs to collect money or talk business, but never stays in the same dwellings.
Leaders may look at the attacks as being necessary since organized crime groups are a “huge threat” to human rights in Latin America. Still, advocacy groups like Human Rights Watch argue that there is a better way to approach it. Americas director Juanita Goebertus feels regional governments should focus on strengthening their judicial capacity to eliminate them. “If the circumstances around this strike are exactly as the administration describes them, it would amount to an extrajudicial execution, prohibited under international law,” Goebertus said.
As Persad-Bissessar was very vocal on her feelings toward the strike, fellow Caribbean leaders kept their feelings seemingly reserved, some even giving the U.S. the side-eye. Since Rubio warned similar strikes will occur again, the Foreign Minister of Barbados, Kerrie Symmonds, issued a letter requesting an open line of communication on developments from the U.S. so they aren’t kept in the dark about any moves against Venezuela.
In a post on X with corresponding imagery of the bombing, Colombian President Gustavo Petro labeled the attack as murder. He questioned the operation, saying the South American country has been capturing drug lords for years without violence. “If this is true, it is a murder anywhere in the world,” he wrote.
“We have been capturing civilians who transport drugs for decades without killing them. Those who transport drugs are not the big narcos, but the very poor young people from the Caribbean and the Pacific.”
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