Washington (BN24) – President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that he has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, a significant escalation in U.S. efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s government and pursue regime change.
The directive, first reported by The New York Times and later acknowledged by Trump during remarks in the Oval Office, marks a rare public admission of a classified action. According to officials cited by the newspaper, the authorization gives the CIA broad powers to conduct lethal operations inside Venezuela and throughout the Caribbean, as part of a strategy to remove Maduro from power. The Trump administration has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction on drug trafficking charges.
Trump justified the authorization by citing drug trafficking and what he described as Venezuela’s release of prisoners who later entered the United States. “I authorized for two reasons really,” Trump told reporters. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America… they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border. And the other thing are drugs.” Trump did not provide evidence for his claims.
The president said the United States has made progress intercepting drug shipments by sea and that new operations will focus on land routes. “We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” he said. The White House declined to elaborate on the scope or specific targets of the CIA operations, and Reuters was unable to independently verify the details of the directive.
The CIA’s involvement in Latin America has deep historical roots, ranging from direct paramilitary interventions during the Cold War to intelligence-gathering missions. The agency was instrumental in toppling major cocaine trafficking empires in the late 20th century and has conducted long-running covert operations in Mexico to track high-value drug traffickers.
Venezuela’s government condemned Trump’s remarks, calling the U.S. authorization a violation of international law and accusing Washington of pursuing a “regime change” agenda aimed at seizing the country’s oil resources. “Our Permanent Mission to the UN will raise this complaint with the Security Council and the Secretary-General tomorrow, demanding accountability from the United States government,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement on Telegram.
Trump has repeatedly accused Venezuela of being a major hub for fentanyl trafficking, though U.S. records show that Mexico remains the main source of the drug. Asked why the U.S. Coast Guard was not used to intercept suspected smuggling vessels, Trump dismissed such operations as “politically correct” and ineffective. He declined to say whether the CIA has the authority to target Maduro personally, stating only: “I think Venezuela is feeling heat.”
Under Trump’s direction, the United States has deployed a large military buildup in the southern Caribbean and carried out at least five strikes on vessels the administration has described as drug trafficking operations, though evidence has not been made public. The Pentagon recently told Congress that Trump determined the United States is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, a legally significant designation.
Trump also accused Venezuela of releasing prisoners, including individuals from mental health institutions, into the United States, though he did not specify how they entered the country. Venezuela’s Information Ministry and representatives for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The administration’s limited disclosure of the operations has drawn criticism from lawmakers, including some Republicans. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned that the U.S. was being moved “closer to outright conflict.” “The American people deserve to know if the Administration is leading the U.S. into another conflict, putting service members at risk or pursuing a regime-change operation,” she said.
