A U.S. Navy hospital ship is reportedly heading to the Caribbean as well as parts of South and Central America to aid countries with assisting Venezuelan refugees who have fled to these countries.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that the humanitarian mission aims to assist these countries in coping with the large numbers of refugees who need medical care.
The USNS Comfort will leave in June on a 5-month mission to South America, Central America and the Caribbean to help countries “overwhelmed” by the more than 3 million Venezuelan refugees who have fled in recent years, Vice President Mike Pence said.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that before the USNS Comfort can be deployed from its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, a staff of doctors, nurses and other medical staff have to be assembled.
The Comfort’s tour last fall provided medical assistance in Colombia and several other countries where most of the Venezuelan refugees have settled to escape the crisis.
