The message seemed designed to reach Washington as one administration prepares to hand the baton to the next: If the United States keeps messing with Venezuela, then Caracas will retaliate by “liberating” the US territory of Puerto Rico,

The initial blow came with the end of CBP One, stranding thousands of asylum seekers with and without appointments

Under the Biden administration, migrants from embattled countries could apply for entry due for humanitarian reasons, without having to attempt to cross into the U.S. illegally.

“I’m incredibly proud to attend President Trump’s inauguration today, and to be joined by Venezuela’s President-elect Edmundo González ,” U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said.

U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, on Monday said he spoke with multiple officials in Venezuela and would begin meetings early Tuesday, days after the outgoing Biden administration imposed new sanctions on the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Puerto Rico governor Jenniffer González Colón called Maduro's comments an "open threat to the United States and our national security."

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order saying the United States will designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that could push a militarized agenda for the border and Latin America.

The Trump administration is ending use of a border app called CBP One that has allowed nearly 1 million people to legally enter the United States with eligibility to work.

The orders include declaring a national emergency to deploy military personnel to the border, suspending refugee resettlement and ending birthright citizenship.