Trump’s Attack on Venezuela is Illegal Imperialism
The Trump administration has captured Nicholás Maduro. It is a blatantly illegal act and is another example of Trump's imperialistic agenda.
The United States has violated international law and captured Venezuelan head of state Nicholás Maduro. The attack, which took place on Saturday, January 3rd, is not only risky and will likely undermine regional stability, but it is also a complete and total violation of Constitutional law. Backed by his cabinet of yes-men and imperialist authoritarians, Donald Trump has instigated a conflict that serves only corporate interests and not the interests of the United States or the Venezuelan people.
What Happened?
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Venezuelans woke up to explosions in Caracas, with American aircraft over their heads. American forces attacked strategic airbases and defenses. Within less than three hours, Donald Trump announced that Maduro and his wife had been captured and were being taken to the United States for trial. The attack killed 40 people, including civilians. Maduro was subsequently brought to New York’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is facing charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy, cocaine trafficking conspiracy, and weapons charges, according to NPR and an unsealed indictment.
In that indictment, Maduro is accused of trafficking “thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.” The indictment further alleges that Maduro had been involved in drug operations in Venezuela since as early as 1999 and that Maduro, through one of his subordinates, had been commissioning state-backed criminal organizations to hold onto power by “kidnappings, beatings, and murders against those who owed them drug money or otherwise undermined their drug trafficking operation, including ordering the murder of a local drug boss in Caracas, Venezuela.”
Maduro denies the charges, although it is worth noting that Maduro was already facing an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and torture, among other charges. However, Maduro was unlikely to face any repercussions in Venezuela, as the country’s National Assembly voted to withdraw from the Rome Statute, thereby removing the ICC’s jurisdiction over Venezuela. Last Month, a report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner showed that Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) was implicated in a “decade-long pattern of killings, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence targeting protesters and opponents of President Nicolás Maduro.”
You can read the report summary here.
Why This Matters
It is important to remember that Maduro’s regime was undeniably corrupt and engaged in human rights abuses. Maduro lost the 2024 election and used the police against protesters to stay in power, despite the blatant illegality of his actions. However, it is equally important, if not more important, to recognize that the Trump administration has no concern whatsoever for human rights.
President Trump blatantly stated that his goal is to secure oil that he believes, without evidence, was stolen from the United States, and has unequivocally stated that America will “run” Venezuela. Even attempts by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio to downplay Trump’s comments about running Venezuela have demonstrated the true intention of the administration: to exploit the resources of Venezuela and its people.
Trump’s Imperialism Continues
The goal, as Secretary Rubio made clear in a recent press conference, is to seize Venezuelan oil for American companies, even if it gets innocent people killed. Since September 2nd, the President has authorized 35 attacks on boats off the coast of Venezuela, illegally executing 115 people with little regard for their right to due process or regard for the Geneva Conventions’ prohibition against killing civilians.
We needn’t downplay Maduro’s alleged crimes to denounce the horrendous criminality of the President. We needn’t pretend that this was about the people of Venezuela or protecting Americans from drugs, because President Trump has already pardoned the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison for flooding the United States with cocaine.
And it might not even be the end of Trump’s interventionism. Trump is already suggesting future military action against Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba, telling reporters that Colombia’s President should “watch his ass.” Just as I was writing this article, Reuters reported that Trump has just suggested that a second strike against Venezuela could occur.
All of this is yet another sign of Trump’s own belligerent criminality and imperialistic agenda. He is usurping Congress’s constitutionally enumerated power to declare war and is pursuing a reckless policy of subjugation that flies in the face of human rights, self-determination, and the laws of the United States. This can only lead to a worse situation in Venezuela, both for the United States and for Venezuelans. If this continues, Trump must be impeached.
References
Board, The Editorial. 2026. “Opinion | Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise.” Opinion. The New York Times, January 3. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/opinion/venezuela-attack-trump-us.html.
CBS News. 2024. “Independent Experts Legitimize Tally Sheets Proving Maduro Lost Presidential Election - CBS Miami.” News. October 2. https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/experts-legitimize-tally-sheets-venezuelas-election/.
Earle, Geoff. n.d. “Trump Issues Thinly Veiled Warning to Mexico, Slams Cuba, Colombia after US Strikes Venezuela, Arrests Maduro.” News. The New York Post. Accessed January 4, 2026. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-issues-thinly-veiled-warning-to-mexico-slams-cuba-colombia-after-us-strikes-venezuela-arrests-maduro/ar-AA1TvU0S.
Gamio, Lazaro, Carol Rosenberg, and Charlie Savage. 2025. “Tracking U.S. Military Killings in Boat Attacks.” U.S. The New York Times, October 30. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/29/us/us-caribbean-pacific-boat-strikes.html.
Griner, Allison. 2025. “Venezuela Seeks Withdrawal from International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute.” Al Jazeera, December 12. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/12/venezuela-seeks-withdrawal-from-international-criminal-courts-rome-statute.
Kurmanaev, Anatoly, and Tyler Pager. 2026. “Maduro Arrives in N.Y.; Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Run’ Venezuela.” World. The New York Times, January 3. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/03/world/trump-maduro-venezuela-us-strikes.
Lucas, Ryan. 2026. “What Are the Charges against Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro?” Venezuela and U.S. Relations. NPR, January 3. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/03/nx-s1-5665617/venezuela-nicolas-maduro-charges.
United States of America v. Nicolás Maduro Moros et al., Sealed Superseding Indictment, S4 11 Cr. 205 (AKH) (U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2025). https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl.
OHCHR. 2025. “Venezuela: Bolivarian National Guard Responsible for Systematic Violations and Crimes against Humanity, UN Fact-Finding Mission Says.” United Nations. December 11. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/venezuela-bolivarian-national-guard-responsible-systematic-violations-and.
Otis, John. 2024. “Venezuela’s President Faces Criminal Prosecution If He Loses Reelection in July.” NPR, May 26. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/26/nx-s1-4970778/venezuelas-president-faces-criminal-prosecution-if-he-loses-reelection-in-july.
Pager, Tyler. 2026. “Trump Celebrates Capture of Nicolas Maduro in New York Times Phone Interview.” World. The New York Times, January 3. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/world/americas/trump-venezuela-maduro-capture-interview.html.
Ramsey, Michael, and Stephen Vladeck. n.d. “Interpretation: Declare War Clause | Constitution Center.” Education. National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.Org. Accessed January 4, 2026. https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-i/clauses/753.
Reuters. 2026. “Trump Says Second Venezuela Strike Possible If Government Does Not Cooperate.” United States. January 5. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/venezuelas-maduro-custody-trump-says-us-will-run-country-2026-01-04/.
Singh, Rimjhim. 2026. “After Venezuela, Donald Trump Hints at Military Action against Colombia.” News. Business Standard, January 4. https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/trump-colombia-us-military-action-drug-trafficking-venezuela-maduro-arrest-126010500100_1.html.
UN News. 2025. “Venezuela’s National Guard Linked to Killings, Torture and Repression, UN Probe Finds | UN News.” News. December 11. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166565.
Vogel, William K., Rashbaum, Maggie Haberman, Kenneth P., and Jonah E. Bromwich. 2025. “Former President of Honduras Is Freed From Prison After Trump Pardon.” U.S. The New York Times, December 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/hernandez-honduras-trump.html.
Wong, Edward, Julian E. BarnesThe reporters have covered President Trump’s military operations, and pressure campaign against Venezuela throughout the year. 2025. “Venezuela’s Oil Is a Focus of Trump’s Campaign Against Maduro.” U.S. The New York Times, December 16. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/politics/trump-maduro-venezuela-oil-tanker.html.