In an unprecedented escalation in his particular crusade against Venezuela, donald trump confirmed this Wednesday that his Administration is considering extending its operations against drug trafficking to Venezuelan territory and revealed that it gave its authorization to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert missions in the South American country.
During a press conference in the Oval Office, Trump justified the recent US naval attacks against alleged drug trafficking boats near Venezuela – which have left at least 27 dead – and announced that he is now evaluating direct actions on land.
“I don’t want to tell you exactly, but we are certainly considering land now because we have the sea very well under control,” he declared, without offering details about possible military plans. as reported the agency EFE.
His statements come after New York Times will reveal that the president signed a secret directive (presidential finding) that expands the CIA’s powers to operate in Venezuela and the Caribbean, including the use of lethal force.
The CIA in action: Maduro Objective?
Although Trump described it as “ridiculous” to confirm whether the operations seek to overthrow Maduro, sources cited by the Times They assure that the ultimate objective is to destabilize their government.
The Republican Administration accuses the Venezuelan president of leading the “Cartel of the Suns” and facilitating drug trafficking to the United States, something that Caracas emphatically denies.
“Venezuela has emptied its prisons to send prisoners to our country, and the drugs that enter kill us,” Trump said, linking his strategy to his anti-immigration rhetoric. However, he did not provide concrete evidence regarding these serious accusations.
This Wednesday, President Maduro, whose capture has a reward of 50 million dollars, reiterated that his country only “belongs” to his fellow citizens and said he did not want a war.
The words of the ruler, who won a third term after highly contested elections in July 2024, took place in the setting of a new defensive military deployment in the Caracas Metropolitan Area, where some seven million people reside.
“Venezuela belongs to Venezuelans. We will continue to win peace, exercising our full sovereignty and defending the right to life,” said the president in statements to the Venezolana de Televisión channel. reported through the portal Russia Today.
Furthermore, during a public event in the capital, Maduro pointed out that Latin America does not need “coups d’état carried out by the CIA” and sent a direct message to the American people.
“Tell the people of the United States: No to war. We do not want a war in the Caribbean or in South America,” he noted. aforementioned for the cnn.
Maduro responds to Trump: “No to regime change, no to the coups d’état carried out by the CIA”https://t.co/0hAfUHvNRn
— CNN in Spanish (@CNNEE) October 16, 2025
International reviews
The attacks in international waters, where the US has sunk ships without trial, have raised a wall of criticism for violations of international law.
The Government of Colombia has criticized these attacks and has said that some of those killed were citizens of its country.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, denounced at the UN “extrajudicial executions” and a “militarization of the Caribbean.”
“These are murders committed with total treachery, in international waters, thousands of kilometers from the coasts of the United States, in actions that violate all norms of international law,” stated Gil, commenting that to date, “at least 27 civilians” have been executed.
Russia and China, key allies of Maduro, have also condemned the US actions. The Government of Cuba has done the same, which has issued several statements on the matter and this Wednesday denounced to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) the “dangerous military deployment” of the United States.
Cuban government denounces “dangerous military deployment” of the US in the Caribbean
Military deployment and fear of escalation in the Caribbean
Trump’s strategy coincides with a massive military deployment in the region: 4,500 soldiers in Puerto Rico, while warships and submarines patrol the Caribbean.
The Pentagon insists that its goal is to combat drug trafficking, but analysts see an attempt to economically suffocate Venezuela, already under sanctions since 2019.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino called the operations “aggressive and illegal” and warned that they could trigger a greater conflict. “The empire operates with warlike irrationality,” he said in a televised speech.
The authorization of the CIA revives old ghosts of the Cold War, when the agency intervened in Latin America to overthrow leftist governments from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Experts warn about the risk of repeating mistakes like those in Cuba or Nicaragua, where covert operations left lasting consequences.
Meanwhile, in Washington, Democratic legislators demand transparency and in this sense recently sent a letter to Trump promoted by Gregory Meeks, a member of the House of Representatives for New York and a prominent figure in the Democratic Party, according to reports.
The White House, for its part, insists that it acts under the so-called Patriot Act, but jurists argue that it only applies to terrorist threats.
