The Caribbean has once again become a theater of U.S. national security. Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela has been accused of working with criminal cartels that traffic drugs, weapons and money across the region. The Trump administration has responded with visible military deployments, including advanced aircraft and naval assets forward-based in Puerto Rico.
During an unannounced visit to the USS Iwo Jima off our shores on Sept. 8, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told sailors and Marines that “this isn’t training” but a real mission to disrupt narco-terrorist networks. The Pentagon has also sent 10 F-35 fighters to the island to reinforce the campaign. On the same day, Maduro denounced the U.S. presence in Puerto Rico and criticized the island territory’s governor for participating in military operations.
These moves have prompted dissent. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), who has a long history of opposing militarization of the island, recently called the reuse of former military facilities “a historic setback for Puerto Rico’s right to self-determination.” Her words reflect a broader worry: that Puerto Rico will again be used as a staging ground for U.S. operations without adequate consultation or consent.
That concern deserves respect. Puerto Ricans are American citizens, and they should have a voice in shaping how their island participates in national defense. The fair question is whether Puerto Ricans themselves want to play this role.
The answer came on Sept. 8, when Puerto Rico’s Senate approved Resolution 288, formally expressing President Trump’s actions against Maduro and narco-terrorism and aligning the island with the federal mission. This was not imposed from outside — it was debated and adopted by elected legislators in San Juan.
That decision reflects more than a legislative vote. The sentiment among many Puerto Ricans is that this presence can be positive: it stimulates economic activity, enhances security on the island, affirms our role in fighting for the greater good, and even brings us closer to statehood by demonstrating Puerto Rico’s value to the nation.
Our geography makes this role unavoidable. Puerto Rico sits across key sea and air corridors exploited by cartels that destabilize governments and threaten communities far beyond our shores. When those flows reach Miami, New York or Chicago, they directly affect American families. Interdicting them in the Caribbean is not abstract strategy — it is urgent homeland defense.
Supporting the federal mission also brings practical benefits. Hosting forward-deployed forces draws investment in infrastructure, port services and jobs tied to logistics and security. Integrating Puerto Rico’s Guard units and police into joint operations builds local capacity to resist organized crime. Rather than being sidelined, the island can become a hub for cooperation.
None of this removes the need for oversight. Federal agencies must operate transparently and within the law, and local authorities must be kept in the loop. Puerto Ricans should continue to debate how best to balance security with accountability. But rejecting engagement outright would ignore both the scale of the threat and the democratic choice our legislature, and significant segments of society, have already made.
Puerto Rico is not asking for special treatment. We are asking to be recognized as a partner. Our Senate has spoken; many Puerto Ricans see the value; our geography is strategic; and our citizens want security. Welcoming the U.S. military presence is not surrendering our voice. It is exercising it, by saying clearly that Puerto Rico is ready to help defend America against narco-terrorism.
Anthony O. Maceira is the managing member of MZLS LLC. He is the former executive director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, former secretary for public affairs, and served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
