The U.S. Has Invaded Venezuela and Removed President Nicolás Maduro from Power, but Many are Concerned That Ulterior Motives are at Play.
By Dayshaun Powe
Global News
At around 2 a.m. local time on January 3, 2026, bombs were heard being dropped in Caracas and Higuerote, Venezuela. Shortly after, the US army’s Delta Force had extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. By 4 a.m., they were already on board the USS Iwo Jima, with their final destination being the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in New York city, New York. This is where they currently are as they await trial. This, understandably, left many questioning what provoked this. But the tensions between the United States and Venezuela didn’t suddenly appear.
Tensions have been steadily rising since September of 2025, when the US first deployed strikes against Venezuelan ships that they claimed were harboring drugs. This initial strike has raised much controversy, as a second missile was shot at the vessel, ensuring those who survived the first would be “eliminated”. This raised many questions, especially among the UN, on the necessity of the actions taken by the United States. This was also the start of the “Maximum Pressure Campaign” in Venezuela. The following month, President Donald Trump confirmed that the CIA were actively running operations in Venezuela. All while the US was continuing to strike down ships that they claimed were holding Venezuelan “narco-terrorists”. In response, congress held a vote to limit how many strikes can be made near Venezuela without congressional approval, but the motion was ultimately struck down in November.
By December of 2025, casualties resulting from U.S. strikes in Venezuela had reached the hundreds. The United States also placed a blockade around the Caribbean for all oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela, resulting in slight Venezuelan pushback. Then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated they were open to have “talks” with the United States. Only a few days later, the United States conducted a raid which resulted in both the president and his wife being taken. Multiple members of government gave statements regarding the arrest, with Donald Trump stating that it was necessary to remove a “Dangerous Narco-Terorrist” from power. Although many agree with the intervention to remove Maduro from office, many also question the precedent this sets for future U.S. action.
The operation was largely based on the Monroe Doctrine, a document originally issued in 1823. The doctrine states that the United States has authority to prevent other countries from attempting to invade any country in the Western Hemisphere, positioning the U.S. as a sort of “Big brother” over the Americas. President Theodore Roosevelt updated the Monroe Doctrine in 1904 with the Roosevelt Corollary, which stated the US had the right to intervene in Latin American affairs if it risked dangerous global outcomes. Following Theodore Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” policies that led to deteriorating relationships between the United States and Latin America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the “Good Neighbor Policy” in 1933, which stated the U.S. would stay out of Latin American affairs that didn’t directly involve the U.S.
While many Venezuelans deeply resent the Maduro administration, many are also worried that the operation was carried out to uphold United States foreign interests. This is far from the first time that the United States has intervened in foreign governments, with many claiming that the recent operations in Venezuela are another example of a “regime change”. Some of the most notable examples of U.S. intervention in foreign governments include Hawaii, Iran, Afghanistan, and Vietnam. With many previous U.S. interventions resulting in lasting instability, many are worried about the outcomes and motives of the most recent actions carried out in Venezuela.
Though President Trump’s actions in Venezuela have been under careful watch by the U.N., global tensions are still rising as President Trump sets his sights on Greenland. Trump has stated that the acquisition of Greenland is necessary for national security, much like operations conducted in Venezuela. However, both Venezuela and Greenland are rich in natural resources, with Venezuela holding the world’s largest oil reserve and Greenland holding some of the world’s largest deposits of rare earth elements.