President Donald Trump has confirmed that he authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert operations—including lethal ones—inside Venezuela, marking a dramatic escalation in the United States’ campaign to pressure the regime of Nicolás Maduro. The revelation, first reported by The New York Times on October 15, 2025, comes on the heels of a series of bold U.S. military maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea, including recent flyovers by Air Force B-52 strategic bombers and attacks on vessels suspected of drug trafficking near Venezuelan waters.
In a press briefing hours after the NYT report surfaced, Trump was asked directly about his decision to greenlight the CIA’s operations. Though initially evasive, the president ultimately confirmed the authorization and laid out his rationale: “Well, I can’t do that, but I authorized it for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. They came in through the, well, they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border policy (...) And the other thing is drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela. And a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that. But we’re going to stop them by land also.”
According to The New York Times, the authorization is the latest and perhaps most aggressive move in an ongoing pressure campaign against Maduro, whom U.S. officials and Trump himself have labeled a “narco-terrorist” and the head of an “illegitimate regime.” The administration’s stated goal, as reported by the NYT, is clear: to drive Maduro from power following what they describe as a fraudulent presidential election in July 2024.
The CIA’s new mandate, granted via a highly classified “Presidential Finding” memorandum, allows the agency to conduct covert and potentially lethal operations not only in Venezuela but also in the surrounding Caribbean region. These activities, which can be executed independently or in tandem with U.S. military actions, represent a significant expansion of American involvement compared to previous intelligence-sharing and security cooperation efforts in Latin America. As The New York Times points out, only a select group of Congressional leaders are briefed on such findings, and the details remain closely guarded.
The military component of the U.S. strategy has also grown more pronounced. The U.S. has deployed approximately 10,000 troops to the Caribbean, with the bulk stationed in Puerto Rico. The naval force includes eight surface ships, a submarine, and a contingent of Marines aboard amphibious assault ships. Recent weeks have witnessed at least six attacks on vessels off the Venezuelan coast, with U.S. officials asserting that these boats were linked to drug cartels such as the Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles—both organizations Washington designates as terrorist groups tied to Maduro’s government. These strikes have resulted in at least 27 deaths, according to official tallies.
Air power has played a visible role as well. The deployment of several F-35 fighter jets and, notably, the recent flyover by two B-52 bombers near Venezuelan shores, underscores the seriousness of the U.S. counternarcotics offensive. Trump, speaking to the press, suggested that the military’s efforts at sea had been so effective that “we are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control. We’ve had a couple of days where there isn’t a boat to be found.” This comment has fueled speculation, reported by multiple outlets, that ground operations targeting drug cartels within Venezuela may be imminent.
The Trump Administration has also put a historic $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head—the highest reward ever offered by the U.S. for information leading to the arrest of a foreign leader. Maduro, already facing a drug trafficking indictment in the U.S. Southern District Court of New York, has reportedly sought to de-escalate tensions by sending private messages to Trump and offering dialogue through intermediaries, including former diplomat Ric Grenell. According to The New York Times, Maduro even went so far as to offer his personal wealth to the U.S. in exchange for reduced military pressure—an overture the administration flatly rejected.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are credited by the NYT as key architects of this intensified strategy. Both have publicly argued that the United States must take a more aggressive posture to remove Maduro and dismantle the criminal syndicates that, in their view, prop up his regime. Rubio has described Maduro as “the head of an illegitimate regime” and a “drug terrorist,” while Ratcliffe, during his confirmation hearing, pledged to make the CIA “less risk-averse and more aggressive. When the president gives the order, I will go where others cannot and do what no one else can.”
While the U.S. has long maintained a presence in the region and cooperated with Latin American governments on intelligence matters, this marks the first time in recent history that the CIA has been explicitly authorized to conduct lethal operations in Venezuela. The legal justification, as outlined in White House communications to Congress, is that the U.S. considers itself in armed conflict with cartels designated as non-state armed groups—entities whose actions “constitute an armed attack against the United States.”
The international community remains divided on the wisdom and legality of these moves. Some U.S. allies have expressed concern about the potential for escalation and the precedent set by authorizing covert lethal action against a foreign government. Critics warn that such interventions could destabilize the region further and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, which has seen millions flee the country over the past decade.
On the other hand, supporters of the administration’s approach argue that previous diplomatic efforts have failed to curb drug trafficking or dislodge Maduro, and that more forceful action is warranted. They point to the apparent reduction in drug-smuggling vessels since the U.S. military buildup and the urgency of addressing what they see as a direct threat to American security and public health.
For now, the details of the CIA’s plans remain shrouded in secrecy. Trump and his advisers have declined to offer specifics on upcoming operations, citing operational security. As the pressure campaign intensifies, all eyes are on Caracas and Washington to see whether this new phase will tip the balance—or simply deepen an already protracted standoff.
With the stakes so high and the region on edge, the world is watching to see if the U.S. will achieve its stated aims or if the crisis in Venezuela will take yet another unpredictable turn.