The U.S. is flexing military muscle in the Caribbean. On Thursday, August 12, the Trump Administration announced the deployment of more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the southern Caribbean—one of the main corridors for Latin American drug cartels trafficking cocaine and other illicit goods to the U.S. and Europe.

According to reports from CNN and Reuters, the operation will involve P-8 surveillance planes, at least one warship, and an attack submarine, with deployments rolling out over the coming months. On Friday, the U.S. Navy confirmed the USS Iwo Jima, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, and two additional vessels from its Amphibious Ready Group had joined the mission.

While Washington expects cooperation from regional governments, it remains unclear which countries will officially participate. The deployment follows Trump’s February decision to label cartels—including Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua—as global terrorist organizations, granting the Pentagon broader authority to target them.

The move underscores Trump’s second-term priorities: cracking down on organized crime, restricting migration, and tightening border security—this time with a dramatic show of force in international waters.