Staff Reports
Before dawn on January 3, 2026, the United States executed a bold, surgical operation in Venezuela that President Trump says resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife and their removal from Venezuelan soil. Explosions rocked Caracas and U.S. officials have confirmed elite units, including members of Delta Force, were involved in the strike that toppled a corrupt regime that has long menaced the region.
This was not diplomat-speak or bluster — President Trump himself called it a “brilliant operation” and publicly announced the capture, showing decisive leadership when caution and dithering would have only prolonged the suffering caused by Maduro’s rule. Conservatives should celebrate a long-overdue willingness to defend American interests and to act against regimes that traffic in drugs and destabilize our hemisphere.
Maduro has been an international pariah, long accused by U.S. prosecutors of running a narco-state and indicted on narco-terrorism charges; U.S. authorities say he and his wife will face justice in American courts. Law-and-order conservatives should be clear-eyed: bringing him to account for drugs sent into our communities is the kind of firm, lawful action Americans expect from their government.
Despite dramatic strikes, Venezuela’s state oil company reported that its core production and refining facilities were operating and had not been damaged, although the port of La Guaira suffered heavy hits, underscoring that the operation was targeted and not a blind campaign against Venezuela’s people. That restraint matters — it shows military precision aimed at regime decapitation rather than indiscriminate destruction, and it protects global energy markets while removing a criminal regime.
Unsurprisingly, the international left and Maduro’s allies cried foul and demanded emergency UN sessions, while neighboring governments warned of refugee flows and regional instability. Let them object — when tyrants refuse to reform and instead export poison and chaos, principled force can be the only practical way to restore order and save lives, including American lives harmed by drug trafficking.
Legalists and critics will debate the constitutional basis for a cross-border operation against a sitting foreign leader, and questions about authority and process deserve answers; conservatives must insist on legal clarity and congressional oversight even as we back effective action to protect the nation. The rule of law is our strength, not an excuse to stand down while cartels and dictators flourish.
Now is the moment for every patriot to stand behind our troops and law enforcement who undertook a dangerous mission to defend American families from the narco-terrorism pouring across our borders. This country was founded on courage and the willingness to act; restoring accountability to Venezuela is not adventurism — it is a necessary step to secure our hemisphere and uphold justice.
