U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warns of extra navy strikes on drug traffickers, calling a U.S. strike on a Venezuelan boat a transparent message to cartels.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there may very well be extra U.S. strikes on suspected drug traffickers. He made the warning in Mexico earlier than he traveled on to Ecuador. NPR’s Michele Kelemen experiences that preventing the drug commerce and unlawful migration are key matters throughout the journey.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: The U.S. navy strike on a ship from Venezuela was meant to be a message to cartels within the area. That is how Secretary Rubio described it as he stood alongside his Mexican counterpart at a information convention within the capital.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARCO RUBIO: Should you’re on a ship stuffed with cocaine or fentanyl or no matter headed to america, you are an instantaneous risk to america. And the president, beneath his authority as commander in chief, has a proper beneath exigent circumstances to get rid of imminent threats to america.
KELEMEN: He says that is what Trump did on Tuesday, ordering a strike on a ship from Venezuela. Rubio says the U.S. will proceed to hit teams that it considers narco-terrorists.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
RUBIO: We’re not going to sit down again anymore and watch these folks sail up and down the Caribbean like a cruise ship. It isn’t going to occur anymore. They don’t seem to be going to carry medication into america. We will cease them.
KELEMEN: In the case of Mexico, Rubio says the 2 international locations have reached a stage of historic cooperation on combating the drug commerce and unlawful migration. Mexican Overseas Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente echoed that, although he confused that their cooperation relies on mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. He used these phrases many occasions throughout their joint press convention, particularly when requested in regards to the strain the Trump administration is placing on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JUAN RAMON DE LA FUENTE: We consider in self-determination, nonintervention, peaceable answer of controversies. All international locations are legally equal. We consider in cooperation for improvement and so forth.
KELEMEN: De la Fuente was upbeat about Rubio’s go to, although, and the assembly with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, calling it productive. The secretary is now in Ecuador, the place the drug commerce and immigration will high the agenda once more. His aides say he is additionally searching for methods to assist this nation get out from beneath what they name an enormous albatross – Ecuador’s $2.5 billion debt to China.
Michele Kelemen, NPR Information, Quito, Ecuador.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEASTIE BOYS’ “RICKY’S THEME”)
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might fluctuate. Transcript textual content could also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its authentic broadcast or publication. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.
