Republican Rep. Celebrates Deployment Of U.S. Warships Near Venezuela: 'The Maduro Regime Must Be Annihilated'

Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez celebrated the deployment of U.S. warships near Venezuela, claiming the "Maduro regime must be annihilated."

Gimenez made a series of social media posts following news about the deployment, which detailed that three Aegis guided-missile destroyers will arrive off the coast" of the South American country this week, officially to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

"The noose is tightening around dictator Nicolas Maduro & his narco regime. His days are numbered. Designated head of Cartel de los Soles; $50 million reward for his capture; 3 US Navy Destroyers en route to Venezuela. Thank you, President Trump & Secretary of State Marco Rubio!" Gimenez added in another publication.

Reuters reported on Monday that President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American cartels, many of which have been designated as global terrorist organizations.

In February, the Trump administration designated Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, and other groups as foreign terrorist organizations. More recently, the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles was added to the list, with the administration alleging it is led by authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his government.

The United States also recently doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million, citing drug trafficking charges. President Trump has signed a classified order authorizing the use of military force against these cartels, potentially opening the door to direct operations at sea and, in some cases, on foreign soil.

Maduro did not address the development directly, but said on Monday night that he would mobilize millions of militia members. He added that the country will "defend our seas, our skies and our lands."

Overall, the U.S. military said last week it was deploying thousands of troops and four aircraft with their crews to the Southern Caribbean to "support enhanced counter-narcotics operations" against cartels in the region.

CNN reported last Friday that more than 4,000 Marines and sailors are being deployed. They are the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to US Southern Command.

The army is also deploying a nuclear-powered attack submarine, more P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser.