Washington courts CARICOM as Trump-era policy unsettles the region

The US Secretary of State attended CARICOM's fiftieth-anniversary meeting even as positions on Venezuela, Cuba, tariffs and deportations created uncertainty for Caribbean states.

Marco Rubio joined the summit in St Kitts and Nevis in February 2025, discussing Venezuela, counter-narcotics and energy. Jamaica's prime minister pressed for constructive US-Cuba dialogue.

New US tariffs applied under trade-act powers, and shifting policy on migration and Venezuela, have left the region managing exposure to a partner whose direction is harder to read. The Ledger tracks the transmission to Caribbean balance sheets.