US Moves to Restore Security in Western Hemisphere

The United States is restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, declared President Donald Trump in his State of the Union speech. The President is securing U.S. national interests and defending the country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference.

“For years, large swaths of territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico. . .have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That’s why I designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and I declared illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. And with our new military campaign, we have stopped record amounts of drugs coming into our country and virtually stopped it completely coming in by water or sea.”

“We’ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all,” said President Trump. Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho,” was captured and killed February 22 after authorities tracked him to a secret location in Mexico. “El Mencho” rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The United States provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with the operation in which “El Mencho” was eliminated, confirmed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. During the raid, three additional cartel members were killed, three wounded, and two arrested. The Trump Administration commended and thanked the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation. Narco-terrorists sending deadly drugs into the United States are beginning to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved, said Ms. Leavitt.

“In January, elite American warriors carried out one of the most complex, spectacular feats of military competence and power in world history,” said President Trump. U.S. Armed Forces seized outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York to face American justice.

“And this was an absolutely a colossal victory for the security of the United States. And it also opens up a bright new beginning for the people of Venezuela. We’re working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries and to bring new hope to those who have suffered so terribly.”

During his speech, President Trump celebrated the release of a 2024 Venezuelan presidential candidate Enrique Márquez from prison. After Enrique ran for office and opposed Maduro, he was kidnapped by Maduro’s security forces and thrown into the regime’s infamous El Helicode prison in Caracas.

Since the raid, the U.S. has worked with acting President Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy, and she has ordered the closure of El Helicode prison and released hundreds of political prisoners with more to come.

The United States will continue securing its national interests in the Western Hemisphere by encouraging governments to cooperate with the U.S. against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other transnational criminal organizations.