GEORGETOWN – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made a striking declaration of support for ongoing U.S. military operations in the Caribbean during her address at the 50th Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Meeting in Saint Kitts and Nevis. While many regional leaders reaffirmed the goal of keeping the Caribbean a “Zone of Peace,” Persad-Bissessar openly welcomed U.S. military involvement as a necessary response to narco-trafficking and violent crime affecting her country’s security.
“Here in Trinidad and Tobago, we gained from that military help and I will welcome them again,” the prime minister said, referring to U.S. support in regional anti-crime efforts. She highlighted the impact of gang violence and weapons smuggling, particularly from Venezuela, as major factors in her country’s high murder rate and broader instability.
Persad-Bissessar pointed to recent declines in homicides in Trinidad and Tobago as evidence of progress, noting that the rate dropped by more than 40 percent last year – a change she attributed in part to U.S. cooperation. She expressly thanked U.S. leaders and military forces for standing firm against narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and the flow of illegal arms.
Her comments reflect a position that has set Trinidad and Tobago apart from many of its CARICOM partners. During regional discussions on security, most member states reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the Caribbean as a peaceful region and called for cooperative, lawful solutions to shared challenges. However, Trinidad and Tobago opted not to endorse that collective stance and instead underscored its support for decisive action against transnational crime, including through continued U.S. engagement.
Persad-Bissessar also acknowledged that other Caribbean nations face different security realities and may not have the same capacity or needs as Trinidad and Tobago, given its geographic proximity to routes used by traffickers. Her government’s stance stems from a belief that urgent threats to public safety require robust and immediate responses, even if they diverge from wider regional approaches.
As CARICOM leaders continue to debate security policy and regional cooperation, the Trinidad and Tobago position highlights enduring differences in how member states view external military involvement and the best means of addressing organised crime across the Caribbean.