WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) President Donald Trump said Saturday that the airspace above and around Venezuela should be considered closed in its entirety, a claim that raised more questions about the United States' pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicols Maduro. His government has accused Trump of making a colonial threat and seeking to undermine the South American country's sovereignty.
The White House did not respond to questions about what Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, and it was unclear whether he was announcing a new policy or simply reinforcing messaging around his campaign against Maduro, which has involved multiple strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean on small boats accused of transporting drugs as well as the buildup of naval forces in the region. More than 80 people have been killed in these strikes since the beginning of September.
The Republican president directed his call for an air blockade at airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human traffickers, rather than at Maduro.
The Venezuelan government said it strongly rejected Trump's claims about the airspace closure and that it was a colonial threat intended to undermine the country's "territorial integrity, aeronautical security and full sovereignty."
The Foreign Ministry said such statements constitute a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act.
The statement also said that U.S. immigration authorities have unilaterally suspended biweekly deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants. Following negotiations between the two governments, more than 13,000 Venezuelans have been deported to Venezuela this year on dozens of charter flights, the last of which arrived Friday evening in Caracas, the capital, according to flight tracking data.
International airlines last week began canceling flights to Venezuela after the Federal Aviation Administration asked pilots to be cautious when flying over the country due to increased military activity.
The FAA's jurisdiction is generally limited to the United States and its territories. The agency regularly warns pilots of the dangers of flying over conflict zones or ongoing military activities around the world, as it did earlier this month with Venezuela. The FAA works with other countries and the International Civil Aviation Organization on international issues. The FAA and ICAO did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.
The Trump administration has sought to increase pressure on Maduro. The U.S. government does not view Maduro as the legitimate leader of the oil-rich but increasingly impoverished South American country and he faces narcoterrorism charges in the United States.
U.S. forces conducted bomber flights near Venezuela and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier, was sent to the region. The Ford completes the largest buildup of American firepower in the region in generations. With its arrival, the Operation Southern Spear mission includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and approximately 12,000 Sailors and Marines.
There are bipartisan calls for greater oversight of U.S. military strikes on ships in the region after The Washington Post reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed in connection with the Sept. 2 attack on suspected drug traffickers.
Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and its top Democrat, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, said in a joint statement Friday that the committee "will conduct rigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances."
Trump's team evaluated military and non-military options with Venezuela, including covert CIA action.
Trump has publicly floated the idea of speaking to Maduro. The New York Times reported Friday that Trump and Maduro had spoken. The White House declined to answer questions about the conversation.
Molina reported from Quito, Ecuador. Associated Press writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
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