Texas lawmakers react after Venezuela's President Maduro captured
Texas has the second-largest population of Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S., behind Florida, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey.
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Texas has the second-largest population of Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S., behind Florida, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey.
President Trump "wants to give them a chance to turn the page in Venezuela and to help America achieve our policy goals there," Sen. Tom Cotton said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
Delcy Rodriguez, who is next in the presidential line of succession, served as Nicolas Maduro's vice president since 2018.
Reactions from U.S. lawmakers poured in after the Trump administration announced strikes on Venezuela and the capture of the country's president.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex located in Caracas, on Saturday amid U.S. military operations.
"We spent decades and decades and purchased in blood, and got nothing economically in return, and President Trump flips the script," Pete Hegseth said.
An indictment charging Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with drug trafficking was unsealed Saturday.
"President Trump sets the terms. And ultimately, he'll decide what the iterations are of that," Hegseth told "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and other top figures condemned the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, posing a potential challenge to President Trump's suggestion that the U.S. will "run" Venezuela.
President Trump said the U.S. would "run the country" of Venezuela until "a safe, proper and judicious transition," following the U.S. military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. military operation capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has disrupted Caribbean travel.
María Corina Machado said Nicolás Maduro will "face international justice for the atrocious crimes" he has committed.
Since the Cold War, the United States has conducted over half a dozen military interventions in Latin America.
A one-time U.S. ally and CIA informant, Manuel Noriega led Panama for much of the 1980s.
Three people were killed Tuesday when the first boat was hit, while individuals in two other boats jumped overboard, according to U.S. Southern Command.
President Trump said the U.S. hit a "big facility" last week linked to alleged drug boat operations, as tensions ratchet up with Venezuela.
A federal judge gave the Trump administration two weeks to submit a plan to either return a group of men previously held at a notorious Salvadoran prison to the U.S., or give them a hearing to contest allegations of gang membership.
If caught and seized, it would be the third Venezuelan tanker taken by the U.S. this month.
It's the second time in recent weeks that the United States has interdicted a tanker, and it comes amid a large U.S. military build-up in Latin America.
President Trump on Tuesday called for a "total and complete blockade" on all sanctioned oil tankers that enter or depart Venezuela, as the administration heaps pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
President Trump said the U.S. has seized an oil tanker, which Attorney General Pam Bondi said has been "used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran."
"We're reviewing the process, and we'll see," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. "Whatever we were to decide to release, we'd have to be very responsible about reviewing that right now."
President Trump posted on social media that Venezuela's airspace should be considered as "closed in its entirety."
The FAA urged civilian aircraft in Venezuelan airspace to "exercise caution" due to the "worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela."
The U.S. is considering dropping leaflets on Caracas as a kind of psychological warfare to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, multiple U.S. officials familiar with the talks told CBS News.
