What unfolded over Caracas in the pre-dawn hours of January 3 was nothing short of an American triumph — a precision operation that removed a narco-authoritarian thug who has long trafficked misery into our country. The capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife by U.S. forces was a bold, necessary act to protect American communities from the pipeline of fentanyl and cartel violence flowing north.
Senator Ron Johnson called the operation a “spectacularly successful mission,” and he was right to celebrate what amounts to a major national-security victory for American families who have suffered under the drug scourge. Conservatives should not apologize for defending our homeland or for praising the men and women of our military and intelligence services who executed a difficult, dangerous mission with skill and restraint.
This was no impulsive stunt — it was months of painstaking intelligence work and rehearsal, combining CIA assets on the ground with Delta Force and special aviation support to execute a quick, surgical raid. The planners built mock-ups, rehearsed insertion routes, and disabled enemy air defenses to minimize risk to U.S. personnel while taking the target alive. The professionalism on display proves what happens when America puts competence and resolve ahead of hand-wringing.
Maduro was brought to the United States to face long-standing federal narcotics indictments and was arraigned in Manhattan, a clear assertion that nobody — not even an international dictator — is above American law when they traffic in poison and terror. Let the courts do their work; national security and the rule of law are not mutually exclusive, and bringing a major drug-trafficking suspect to justice here protects American lives. Critics who call this a “kidnapping” forget that Maduro has been indicted and that justice must follow wherever the law allows.
The Trump administration has signaled it will leverage this moment to secure American energy and economic interests in the hemisphere, placing a premium on stabilizing Venezuela’s oil sector to benefit U.S. refineries and consumers. That pragmatic, America-first approach is exactly what this country needs: protect our borders, protect our energy, and use every lawful tool to weaken narco-regimes that harm Americans. Washington must be unafraid to secure strategic assets in our national interest.
Yes, the usual suspects in the international community and the activist press are bleating about legal niceties and sovereignty. Spare us. When a regime has turned its state into a narco-cartel and aided hostile actors, strong action is not only justified — it is overdue. Democrats and globalists who lecture America on restraint should explain why they tolerated Maduro’s trafficking and tyranny for so long.
Now is the time for patriots in Congress and the country to rally behind our armed forces, demand accountability for any mistakes, and support a clear plan to help Venezuelans reclaim their country from socialism and crime. We owe it to the Venezuelan people who cheered in the streets and to the millions of American families who deserve leaders who will act — not posture — to keep us safe. America proved it can still lead decisively; let’s finish the job with conviction and common sense.
