U.S. military forces have taken control of nearly the entire Roosevelt Roads airport in eastern Puerto Rico (PR), twenty-one years after leaving the Ceiba naval base. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s Latin America and Caribbean strategy, aimed at increasing pressure on Venezuela and Colombia.

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Roosevelt Roads was vacated in 2004 following widespread protests and civil disobedience by Puerto Ricans against the U.S. Navy, which also led to the Navy’s withdrawal from Vieques in 2003. The base has seen limited civilian use since then.

On Saturday, the Puerto Rican government signed a five million dollars agreement with Washington for the use of Roosevelt Roads, whose airspace has been restricted for the past two weeks. U.S. forces have also deployed to Aguadilla International Airport in western PR, though operations there are limited due to ongoing construction of a $265 million runway.

Local activist group Madres contra la Guerra (Mothers Against War) has called for a protest on November 29 at Campamento Santiago in Salinas, citing concerns that the bases could be used in potential U.S. actions against Venezuela.

Spokesperson Sonia Santiago Hernández said, “We must reject any plan to attack sister nations, such as Venezuela or Colombia, from our Puerto Rican homeland, as Trump apparently intends.”

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