The recent operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marks a bold demonstration of America’s willingness to confront foreign regimes. Nicolás Maduro assumed Venezuela’s presidency in 2013, claiming the title of the 53rd president, though leaders like U.S. President Donald J. Trump have called him an illegitimate dictator. Far from a military invasion, this was a law enforcement operation backed by military support, as federal agencies lack jurisdiction abroad; he now faces charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess such weapons. U.S.-Venezuela relations had deteriorated due to executive branch accusations of narco-terrorism and oil blockades. In contrast, Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and political turmoil drew global scrutiny from powers like China, Russia and Iran, especially post-arrest.
Operation Absolute Resolve — as the mission was dubbed — was a months-long U.S. effort involving CIA surveillance, practice raids on a full-scale Kentucky replica of Maduro’s fortified Fort Tiuna compound and the massive air assault on January 3, 2026. CIA agents infiltrated Venezuela in August 2025 to track Maduro’s routines, movements, diet and pets. Trump authorized military action on December 25, 2025, with Joint Task Force Southern Spear coordinating amid prior blockades, though weather delays shifted the launch to January 2 during the Venezuelan holiday. The mission executed a federal warrant on Maduro, indicted since 2020 as a narco-terrorist partnering with Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and cartels to smuggle cocaine to the U.S. via military routes, fulfilling a $25 million bounty.
While this operation may seem reasonable, it has sparked backlash from both Congress and the international community. Democrats have described the operation as a potential violation of international law — specifically Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which states that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” While countries may have political views toward one another, it is important to respect each other’s sovereignty. There have been numerous past examples of the U.S. not respecting a country’s sovereignty. In 2003, the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq without an explicit UN Security Council authorization. Similar to this, in 2011, the United States entered Abbottabad, Pakistan, without notifying the Pakistani government to kill bin Laden. Most countries agreed that Maduro was an illegitimate president.
No vote was issued by Congress because President Trump felt that “Congress has a tendency to leak” and needed to maintain operational secrecy, and that this wasn’t an act of war that the President needed approval for. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, said Maduro is a “criminal and authoritarian dictator who has oppressed the people of Venezuela for years,” but that Mr. Trump “has the constitutional responsibility to follow the law and protect democratic norms in the United States.” The right has reacted positively to the operation, specifically House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said, “President Trump is putting American lives first, succeeding where others have failed, and under his leadership the United States will no longer allow criminal regimes to profit from wreaking havoc and destruction on our country.” The international community has had mixed reactions. Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, said, “The fall of a dictator… [is] excellent news for the free world,” while Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil, decried the raid as “a serious violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and set a perilous precedent for the global community.”
I had a conversation with a high-school student named Diego Hinestrosa, who lives in Miami, Florida, and has immediate family in Venezuela. In our discussion, he said, “I was happy to see President Trump working hard to make sure that the citizens of Venezuela are safe and that this abusive regime is overthrown.”
The Operation to capture Nicolas Maduro reveals both the strength and the danger of American power in the world. While it removed a widely recognized dictator and answered years of accusations about narco-terrorism and human rights abuses, it also pushed the limits of international law. It raised serious questions about sovereignty and precedent. By examining reactions from U.S. leaders across the political spectrum, foreign presidents and ordinary people directly connected to Venezuela, it becomes clear that this mission was not simply a victory or a mistake, but a complex moment in which the pursuit of justice collided with the rules meant to keep nations in check. In the end, Operation Absolute Resolve shows that even if the target is a brutal regime, the United States must balance its desire to defend the weak with its responsibility to respect international norms, or risk weakening the very democratic values it claims to protect.
