On January 3, 2026, American forces executed a bold operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. For decades Maduro presided over a narco-state that impoverished his people, fueled regional chaos, and sent drugs flooding into our streets; bringing him to U.S. custody is the kind of decisive action sorely missing from weak-kneed foreign policy bureaucrats. This was not reckless adventurism but an operation to deliver long-overdue justice to victims of Maduro’s criminal regime.
President Donald Trump and our armed services deserve credit for acting where talk and sanctions failed. While critics scream about sovereignty, they ignore that Maduro’s reign was sustained by criminal networks and foreign patrons who had no respect for human life or the rule of law. The arrest and transfer to face narco-terrorism charges in New York shows that no tyrant is above accountability when America chooses to lead.
Make no mistake: Maduro’s cartel-friendly government exported misery and violence across the hemisphere, enriching cartels and enabling gangs like Tren de Aragua to terrorize citizens. U.S. law enforcement and the Department of Justice have long pursued evidence of those crimes, and finally the perpetrators are being forced to answer for trafficking, corruption, and violence. This outcome is a victory for American families who have demanded an end to the flow of drugs and for Venezuelans who want freedom, not kleptocracy.
Predictably, Beijing, Moscow, and the usual gaggle of anti-American grifters howled about violations of international law, even as they cheer on dictators who crush dissent. Their outrage rings hollow; the same regimes that back Maduro refuse to claim responsibility for the human wreckage caused by his rule. America must not be cowed by the moral preening of hostile powers whose primary interest is keeping hands on Venezuela’s oil and blocking liberty.
To those fretting about legality, remember leadership sometimes requires hard choices to protect our national security and the rule of law. If Congress wants to debate the finer points, so be it—do it while supporting the men and women who risked everything to carry out this mission. Our priority must be securing the border, accelerating prosecution of international narco-terrorists, and ensuring that justice rather than chaos fills the vacuum.
Now is the moment for conservatives in Congress to stand united behind a clear strategy: stabilize the region, assist legitimate Venezuelan opposition forces, and ensure American energy and security interests are defended. Let Washington commit to a plan that liberates Venezuelans from tyranny while guarding American taxpayers from open-ended nation-building. We must also demand accountability from any official or foreign actor who aided Maduro’s reign of corruption.
This operation should remind every patriot that America still has the will and the capability to do what is necessary to protect our people and our values. Praise the troops and the planners who carried out this mission with precision; they have struck a blow against narco-tyranny and shown that liberty has friends in Washington. Now the hard work begins—securing justice, helping rebuild a shattered nation, and ensuring that the sacrifices made are not squandered by appeasers or diplomats who fear to call evil by its name.
