Background
Venezuela has been in a political and economic crisis for several years. Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, has been accused of undermining democracy, restricting political opposition, and mismanaging the economy. The country faces high inflation, food and medicine shortages, and a collapse of basic services.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. did not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president and supported opposition leaders. Trump imposed economic sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil industry to pressure Maduro to allow fair elections. Maduro called these actions foreign interference. These tensions caused global debates about democracy, human rights, and U.S. involvement in other countries.
Nicolás Maduro was arrested on Saturday, January 3, 2026, by U.S. special forces in Caracas, Venezuela, as part of the so-called “Operation Absolute Determination” on drug trafficking charges. He was transferred to New York to face trial, an event that triggered a political crisis and international reactions.
What happen between Maduro and the U.S.
The operation was the culmination of a months long military pressure campaign by the Trump Administration, which had been framed as an effort to stymie drug trafficking and so-called “narco-terrorism.” In the days since, the U.S. has asserted control over the direction of Venezuela’s governance and its crude oil industry.
Maduro’s regime has been characterized by repression and human rights abuses, as he has gone after his political opponents. The mix of Maduro’s authoritarian rule, staggering poverty levels, and citizens’ limited access to food and other basic necessities have forced an estimated 8 million Venezuelans to leave the country and look for better living conditions elsewhere, according to the Human Rights Watch. Maduro declared victory in subsequent disputed elections in 2018 and 2024—but several countries, including the U.S., have not recognized his victories and consider him an illegitimate President.
Local Perspectives
To get the point of view of a TCA student with ties to Venezuela, we spoke with Stefanny Moreno. When asked about the current situation in her homeland, Ms. Moreno stated, so clearly she’s happy that Mr. Maduro has been removed. But Ms. Moreno also thinks that Trump may take advantage of the Venezuelan oil reserves. Ms. Moreno thinks that the takeover is a positive thing but she see the negatives that Venezuela have without control of their country.
We also see the point of view of another Venezuelan student, Sergio Narvaez. We asked about the current situation in his homeland, Mr. Narvaez stated, “I think this situation will benefit Venezuelans.” So he’s clearly happy. Mr. Narvaez also stated to us this “I am in favor of Trump because Maduro has done many bad things.” This shows that Mr. Narvaez is aware of the situation that Venezuela is going through and this got us understanding that Venezuela will get better as the time goes on.
