Trump Authorizes CIA to Operate Inside Venezuela
U.S. President Donald Trump said he has granted the CIA authority to conduct operations inside Venezuela to combat illegal migration and drug trafficking — a decision that has sparked political controversy in Washington and raised tensions with Caracas.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump revealed that the CIA’s expanded mission in Venezuela is part of a broader strategy to fight Latin American drug cartels. The move follows a series of U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean that reportedly targeted boats suspected of drug smuggling. Although Trump stopped short of saying he aims to oust President Nicolás Maduro, his remarks fueled speculation that Washington is tightening pressure on the Venezuelan regime.
Trump: Venezuela is feeling the heat
Trump tied the CIA authorization to his administration’s ongoing efforts to disrupt drug flows into the United States.
“We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, mostly by sea, but we’re going to stop them by land too,” he said.
The president claimed that Venezuela’s leaders are “feeling the heat,” adding that the U.S. will not allow its borders to be exploited.
“We’re not going to let our country be ruined because others want to dump their worst on us,” Trump said, repeating his earlier claims about criminal migration.
U.S. military strikes escalate regional tensions
Trump’s comments came one day after the U.S. military confirmed a strike on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs off Venezuela’s coast, killing six people aboard. It was at least the fifth such operation in recent months.
Maduro’s government condemned the attacks as “aggressive provocations” and is reportedly preparing to declare a state of emergency in case of further U.S. actions.
While the White House has not provided public evidence that the targeted vessels were smuggling narcotics, officials cite a classified legal opinion authorizing lethal strikes against an expanded list of cartels and traffickers.
Congress questions legality of CIA operations
Trump’s decision triggered heated debate in Congress.
Democratic Senator Peter Welch criticized the move, saying, “The president is making lethal decisions without oversight or accountability. That’s unacceptable.”
Republican Senator Rand Paul echoed similar concerns, while Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, defended Trump, saying he was “doing exactly what he should be doing.”
Venezuelan opposition leader urges U.S. support
Opposition figure María Corina Machado, who recently won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, urged Washington to intensify its stance against Maduro.
In an interview with CNN, Machado described the Venezuelan regime as “a criminal narco-terrorist structure” and appealed to Trump for “greater international help to liberate Venezuela.”
Expanding U.S. operations across Latin America
According to Pentagon sources, some of the recent U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean also targeted Colombian nationals aboard a vessel that had departed from Colombia. The disclosure suggests that Washington’s campaign against drug trafficking extends well beyond Venezuela’s borders, signaling a new phase in the U.S. government’s regional strategy.
