On October 15, 2025, President Donald Trump confirmed that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, a move that has dramatically raised tensions between Washington and Caracas and drawn sharp international scrutiny. The announcement, which came during a White House news conference alongside top law enforcement officials, follows a series of deadly U.S. military strikes on vessels off the Venezuelan coast and signals a significant escalation in U.S. policy toward the embattled South American nation.
"I authorized for two reasons, really," Trump told reporters, according to The New York Times and CBS News. "Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America." He continued, "The other thing are 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." These remarks mark a rare public acknowledgment by a sitting U.S. president of authorizing clandestine CIA activities—operations that are typically kept under wraps.
Since September 2, 2025, the Trump administration has conducted at least five missile strikes on small boats suspected of carrying narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people, according to figures released by the administration and reported by BBC and CBS News. The most recent strike, announced on October 14, killed six people near Venezuela's coast. Trump defended these actions, stating, "When they're loaded up with drugs, they're fair game, and every one of those ships were." He added, "We know we have much information about each boat that goes. Deep, strong information." Trump further claimed that "fentanyl dust" was found on the boats after the strikes.
The president's justification for the strikes—labeling those on board as "narco-terrorists"—has not been universally accepted. UN-appointed human rights experts have described the raids as "extrajudicial executions," and legal experts have questioned whether drug traffickers meet the definition of armed combatants under international law. U.S. officials have yet to provide public evidence directly linking the targeted vessels to specific drug cartels or to substantiate claims that the boats were carrying narcotics destined for the United States.
Trump's statements also echoed his longstanding, but unsubstantiated, assertions that Venezuela under President Nicolás Maduro has deliberately sent prisoners and people from mental health institutions to the United States. "Many countries have done it, but not like Venezuela. They were down and dirty," Trump alleged, without providing evidence. These claims have been refuted by his own intelligence community, with a declassified U.S. report in May 2025 finding no direct evidence linking Maduro to criminal groups like Tren de Aragua, despite repeated accusations by top Trump officials.
The Venezuelan government, for its part, has fiercely condemned the U.S. actions. In a statement, officials accused the United States of violating international law and the United Nations Charter, asserting that "the purpose of U.S. actions is to create legitimacy for an operation to change the regime in Venezuela, with the ultimate goal of taking control of all the country’s resources." Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whose legitimacy as president is contested by Washington and other governments following disputed elections, took to national television to denounce what he called "warmongering and extravagant statements" by Trump. "No to regime change, which reminds us so much of the endless, failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and so on. No to CIA orchestrated coups d'état," Maduro declared. He also urged, "Listen to me, no war, yes peace, the people United States."
Amid these rising tensions, Maduro ordered military exercises in Caracas and the neighboring Miranda state, mobilizing not only the military but also police and civilian militia to defend Venezuela. Foreign Minister Yván Gil echoed Maduro's sentiments on Telegram, stating that Venezuela "rejects the warmongering and extravagant statements of the president of the United States" and expressed "extreme alarm" over the use of the CIA and American military deployments in the Caribbean, which he characterized as "aggression, threat, and harassment against Venezuela."
The U.S. military buildup in the region is substantial. Trump has deployed eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and fighter jets to the Caribbean, moves the White House says are aimed at cracking down on drug smuggling. According to CBS News, approximately 10,000 U.S. forces are now stationed in the Caribbean, either aboard ships or in Puerto Rico.
Behind the scenes, the Trump administration has been laying the legal groundwork for its actions. In August 2025, Trump signed an order allowing the U.S. military to target drug cartels and other Latin American criminal networks. In October, a memo sent to Congress asserted that the U.S. is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug-trafficking organizations, a designation that has allowed groups like Tren de Aragua to be labeled as "foreign terrorist organizations"—though experts note this label alone does not provide a legal basis for military action.
Questions about whether the CIA has authority to directly target Maduro were met with characteristic evasiveness by Trump. When asked at the White House whether the CIA had such authority, Trump responded, "Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that. That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?" He then added, "But I think Venezuela’s feeling heat." The U.S. Justice Department has offered a $50 million bounty for information leading to Maduro's capture, doubling the reward in August 2025.
Domestically, the strikes and covert operations have drawn criticism from lawmakers across party lines. Some have pointed out that Congress has not authorized military force against drug traffickers and that the administration has not provided sufficient evidence about who was on the targeted boats or what narcotics, if any, they were carrying. Trump, however, dismissed these concerns, insisting, "Lawmakers are given information that they were loaded up with drugs, and that's the thing that matters."
Experts, including former CIA paramilitary officer Mick Mulroy, have noted that a presidential finding is required to authorize covert CIA action, and that such a move represents a "substantial increase" in U.S. efforts against drug trafficking organizations. Mulroy told the BBC, "Perhaps a real life 'Sicario'," referencing the film about U.S. operatives conducting clandestine missions against cartels.
As the U.S. shifts its strategy from sea to potential land operations, Trump appeared to joke that even fishermen had decided to stay off the waters, saying, "We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control." Whether this marks the beginning of a broader military campaign or remains a show of force is yet to be seen.
The situation remains volatile, with both sides digging in and the risk of further escalation looming. The world is watching closely as the standoff between the United States and Venezuela enters a dangerous new phase—one that could have far-reaching consequences for the region and beyond.