President Donald Trump has confirmed that he’s authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
The move escalates U.S. pressure on socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his narco-state regime.
Trump’s order expands U.S. intelligence assets in the region, following months of rising tensions that have included tariffs on nations buying Venezuelan oil.
It also follows U.S. strikes on boats allegedly tied to drug trafficking off the Venezuelan coast.
The New York Times first reported the operations, citing unnamed officials.
Trump later confirmed the authorization, saying the decision was motivated by two factors: the export of criminals and the trafficking of drugs.
“They have emptied their prisons into the United States of America … they came in through the border,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“They came in because we had an open border.”
The administration has repeatedly accused Maduro of directing a narco-state that funnels drugs into the U.S. while propping up his fragile socialist rule through election manipulation and political repression.
Turning Up the Pressure
The United States has already leveled economic sanctions, pursued diplomatic isolation, and doubled down on legal actions against Maduro.
In August, the State Department doubled its bounty on Maduro from $25 million to $50 million for information leading to his arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.
Trump also suggested that additional military measures may be on the table.
“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said during an October 15 press briefing with FBI Director Kash Patel.
Trump dismissed Coast Guard interdictions as “politically correct” but ineffective.
A Pentagon disclosure to Congress classified ongoing U.S. engagements with drug cartels as a “non-international armed conflict.”
American forces have already carried out at least five strikes on vessels the administration linked to cartel trafficking.
When pressed on whether the CIA’s mandate extends to assassinating Maduro, Trump offered only: “I think Venezuela is feeling heat.”
Venezuela Pushes Back
Maduro’s government lashed out, calling Trump’s remarks a violation of international law and an attempted “regime change” driven by oil interests.
In a statement on Telegram, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said:
“Our Permanent Mission to the U.N. will raise this complaint with the Security Council and the Secretary-General tomorrow, demanding accountability from the United States government.”
Venezuela’s GDP has shrunk by three-quarters since 2014.
Yet, despite economic collapse, Maduro has retained power through repression and electoral manipulation.
Last week, Nobel Peace Prize laureates honored Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding since January, recognizing her as “a brave and committed champion of peace” who “keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”
Machado dedicated her win to President Trump.
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