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1 day ago
Reaction to the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, by US forces on Saturday has been starkly polarized along political lines, with administration officials and Republicans celebrating the enforcement of a 2020 US narco-trafficking indictment against Maduro and Democrats decrying what they see as a violation of Venezuela’s right to self-determination.
The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said on X that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been indicted in the southern district of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire US [justice department], I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco-traffickers”.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, issued a statement: “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is not the legitimate government. Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization that has taken control of the country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States.”
Many specialists are skeptical of the narco-terror description when it comes to Cartel de los Soles. Venezuela has a distinctly different landscape than Mexico when it comes to cartels.
The US vice-president, JD Vance, said in a statement: “The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.”
But reaction from Democrats criticized the administration for transforming what had been an anti-narcotics trafficking operation in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which included strikes against alleged drug boats, into a regime-change action.
New Jersey senator Andy Kim posted on X that Rubio and the US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, “looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress.”
Kim accused Trump of rejecting a “constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict because the Administration knows the American people overwhelmingly reject risks pulling our nation into another war”.
Kim, a former state department employee during the Obama administration, said the overnight attack in Venezuela “doesn’t represent strength. It’s not sound foreign policy. It puts Americans at risk in Venezuela and the region, and it sends a horrible and disturbing signal to other powerful leaders across the globe that targeting a head of state is an acceptable policy for the US government.”
He also warned that the strikes “will further damage our reputation – already hurt by Trump’s policies around the world – and only isolate us in a time when we need our friends and allies more than ever”.
California Democrat Ro Khanna accused Trump of betraying his Maga base by “launching a war of choice to bring regime change in Venezuela. We keep voting against dumb wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, & Libya. But our Presidents bow to a foreign policy blob committed to militarism.”
Khanna said the administration was getting the US “entangled in conflicts abroad, while ignoring the lack of good jobs and high costs for Americans at home. What will we say now if [Chinese president] Xi Jinping wants to capture [President] Lai [Ching-te] of Taiwan or Putin tries to capture Zelensky in Ukraine?”
He called “for a movement of the American people to stand against bloated defense budgets and warmongering. We need statesmen who will heed the advice of Washington and our founders and invest in jobs, healthcare, childcare & education for our people.”
Tiziano Breda, an analyst for Latin America at the global conflict monitor ACLED, said the US strikes targeting military facilities in Caracas, as well as sites in La Guaira, Aragua and Miranda, “stands out as the largest US military operation in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama”.
“The timing is not a coincidence – it appears to be aimed at undercutting the anniversary of Maduro’s most recent term in office,” Breda said via email, warning that what happens next hinges on the response of Venezuela’s government and armed forces.
“So far, they’ve avoided direct confrontation with US forces, but deployments on the streets point to efforts to contain unrest. A smooth transition remains unlikely, and the risk of resistance from pro-regime armed groups – including elements within the military and Colombian rebel networks active in the country – remains high.”
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