Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) discussed the impact of a second drone strike against a boat from Venezuela allegedly crewed by Tren de Aragua in a recent appearance on Fox News's Faulkner Focus, echoing President Donald Trump's sentiment that "their existence will no longer continue."
The new strike, which killed three people aboard the boat, was announced this week.
Host Harris Faulkner quoted part of a post from President Trump on Truth Social wherein the president wrote, "BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!"
"The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens," the president expressed, affirming, "NO LONGER."
Rep. Mast said that Trump had the Article II authority to carry out the strike, adding, "what I would tell these terrorists, and these are now rightfully labeled foreign terrorist organizations by the President, he has said that their existence will no longer continue." "Total commitment to ending their existence, whether it is Tren de Aragua, whether it is the Jalisco Cartel, MS-13, the Gulf Cartel, take your pick of all of those that are labeled."
The Florida Republican warned that cartel members "should be perfectly aware that we have incredible human intelligence, incredible geospatial intelligence, incredible intelligence across the board, to know where their movements are, what it is that they are moving, and it is coming to a total end." "They are on notice by this President."
Faulkner inquired about how drug smuggling would be affected by the new strike, as the Trump Administration has not said much about efforts to stop drugs from coming in recently, aside from the strikes.
"Let me give you just the most common-sense reaction," the Florida Congressman replied.
"If you are a mariner and you are leaving Venezuela or somewhere else in the Gulf of America, and you know that there are drugs, fentanyl, or something else aboard your vessel, you are looking up into the sky, wondering what it is that is targeting you right now, and whether or not you are going to leave that shore with that vessel," he commented, "That is the effect that this is having right now and our ability to bring this to an end."
