FRESNO, Calif. – Mixed reaction poured in Saturday after the United States carried out an operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from his country and bring him to a jail in New York City to face multiple criminal charges. He is expected to appear in federal court on Monday.
Maduro was taken during a military operation that was carried out in the middle of the night in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. He, along with his wife Cilia Flores and their son are facing charges by U.S. prosecutors that range from narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons charges.
The capture of the Venezuelan leaders follows months of tension between the U.S. and Venezuela. It also follows numerous strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean that the U.S. government said were being used to transport drugs and were tied to Venezuela.
Shifting U.S. security strategy in the Americas
Saturday’s military action in Venezuela came as a shock, but the Associated Press previously reported in December that the wider moves against Venezuela are part of what U.S. national security officials lay out as “a ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine” to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.”
Some of the Trump administration's primary goals for the hemisphere, according to its security strategy released in November, are combatting drug trafficking and controlling migration.
The 1823 Monroe Doctrine, formulated by President James Monroe, was originally aimed at opposing any European meddling in the Western Hemisphere and was used to justify U.S. military interventions in Latin America.
Maduro long suggested that the accusations regarding the drug boats were thinly veiled threats to oust him from power. He has held on to power for roughly 12 years in the country despite an election in 2024 that many critics say he actually lost.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. would take over running Venezuela, but hours after Maduro’s capture, Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Gomez was sworn in as the country’s leader.
Mixed reaction to Maduro ouster
The events caused both Venezuelans and non-Venezuelans around the world to quickly react to the fast-moving events.
Many Venezuelans who now live abroad celebrated Maduro’s ouster because they view him as a dictator who has clamped down on opposition. In Fresno, activists held an emergency protest to call out the U.S. military actions.
Stan Santos, who is the co-chair of the group known as “Raza Against War,” told KVPR that there is concern the U.S. military actions would expand to other Latin American countries without enough justification.
“They haven't established the cause, any justification, any true facts on the ground, to prove that Venezuela is the actual main culprit or perpetrator for the consumption of drugs in the United States,” Santos said. “The United States clearly has a problem controlling the appetites that the United States has for drugs. That's a cultural phenomenon. That's a societal illness and Venezuela is really a small player if anything.”
Fresno area leaders respond to Venezuela attacks
Elected officials were also mixed. Below are statements released by congressional leaders from the San Joaquin Valley and California.
“There is no dispute that Nicolás Maduro is a dictator who has illegally and illegitimately clung to power, inflicting severe hardship on the Venezuelan people. However, unilateral military action risks undermining U.S. standing in the region, straining relationships with key allies, and escalating instability throughout the hemisphere.”
“The Maduro regime has inflicted violence, corruption, and suffering on the Venezuelan people for years, and today that ends. I support efforts to hold narco-terrorists accountable and stand with those fighting to restore freedom, democracy, and a hopeful future for Venezuela.”
“Maduro’s arrest represents a meaningful step toward justice for the death and destruction that his transnational drug trafficking networks have inflicted on hundreds of thousands of American families in communities across our country. I commend [President Donald Trump] and our brave men and women in uniform for bringing Maduro into custody. I look forward to him standing trial in the Southern District of New York.”
“Trump’s military action in Venezuela is unlawful without approval from Congress. There’s no clear objective, no endgame, and no plan for what comes next. This is a dangerous recipe for chaos in the region. And while he escalates conflicts abroad, Trump is ignoring real crises at home — from rising health care costs to disaster recovery. This isn’t leadership.”
“Acting without Congressional approval or the buy-in of the public, Trump risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them. And in conjunction with his continued saber-rattling around the world and dropping approval ratings at home, the American people should be concerned that this is not the last time he will break that promise.”
KVPR reached out to Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of Modesto for a statement but did not hear back by the time of this publication.
