Rubio: claims the Venezuelan government supports criminal organizations

Rubio: Venezuela is a destabilizing factor in the Western Hemisphere, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accused the country’s leadership of collaborating with terrorist and criminal groups.

“The illegitimate regime in Venezuela is the one place that doesn’t cooperate,” Rubio said.

He said that armed organizations collaborate with the Venezuelan government.

“They openly collaborate with terrorists and criminal elements, in addition to not cooperating with us,” Rubio said.

According to Rubio, the dictatorship permits foreign violent organizations to operate out of its borders.

He said that Venezuela allows dissidents from the ELN and FARC to operate “unencumbered” and that “they invite Hezbollah and Iran to operate from their territory.”

According to him, Venezuela is a major location for drug trafficking.

According to Rubio, “they collaborate with drug trafficking organizations.”

He mentioned Mexico and countries in Central America, saying, “The good news is that we have a lot of countries in the region that openly cooperate and work with us.”

US-Mexico collaboration is at an all-time high, according to Rubio. He said, “Mexico, they are cooperating with us at a level never before seen in their history.”

Additionally, he mentioned regional security efforts. “Up to 7,500 forces from a variety of countries have already pledged,” Rubio said, alluding to a global effort to stabilize Haiti.

Due to claims of corruption, human rights violations, and democratic regression, Venezuela has been subject to US sanctions for many years. Mass exodus, political persecution, and economic collapse have all occurred in the nation.

In an effort to work with neighboring countries to combat organized crime and migration, Washington has charged Caracas with threatening regional stability.