United States invades Venezuela, Black Catholics react

American lawmakers and members of the international community have strongly condemned the United States’ surprise invasion of Venezuela early Saturday morning, which involved the abduction and indictment of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife over U.S. allegations of narcoterrorism.

White House officials, including President Donald Trump, have claimed responsibility for the series of deadly military airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, which they have connected to drug trafficking and oil reserves.

“The president offered multiple off ramps,” said Vice President JD Vance, “but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says.”

Several U.S. Democratic lawmakers, as well as a number of Republicans, have questioned the legality of the attack—the prospect of which was the subject of congressional votes in December to block potential military action in Venezuela. Two bipartisan resolutions failed by narrow margins.

U.S. Rep Adriano Espaillat of New York, a Black Catholic Democrat who serves as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was among the first American opposition voices to voice legal concerns over the invasion of the South American nation, which has faced a widespread political crisis under Maduro since 2013.

“While I strongly oppose the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro, President Trump’s military action was a serious constitutional violation,” said Espaillat, who demanded an immediate congressional briefing on the strikes.

“The U.S. Constitution explicitly grants Congress the authority to declare war and approval to conduct military action against a sovereign nation.”

Latin American leaders have also spoken out against the American invasion, which had been threatened by Trump dating back to his first presidency. This weekend’s action was portended by a military buildup in the southern Caribbean beginning in August, as well as increasingly aggressive rhetoric from the White House regarding the Venezuelan dictatorship, and deadly strikes against shipping vessels allegedly connected to the regime.

The executives of Mexico, Chile, Cuba, Brazil, and Colombia have condemned Saturday's attack and abduction. They have also called for international intervention by way of the United Nations, which has also criticized the U.S. strikes.

“As a defender of life, I reject this military intervention and urge multilateral organizations to assume their obligation to the peoples and act firmly to guarantee peace and the protection of the Venezuelan people,” said Colombia’s Black Catholic vice president, Francia Márquez Mina.

“Without the people, there is no democracy. And without justice, there is no peace.”

Following requests from the standing Venezuela government for proof of life regarding Maduro and his wife, President Trump released photos appearing to show a blindfolded Maduro in custody aboard an American military vessel. The White House says Maduro is due to stand trial in New York, where he was first indicted on federal charges in 2020.

In public comments on Saturday in Washington, Trump declared that the U.S. will administer Venezuela during a transition period and take over the nation’s oil infrastructure, “making money for the country.” (It is not clear to which country he referred.)

Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York alleges that the White House’s claims of violent corruption on the part of Maduro are merely a pretense for Trump to maximize U.S. political and economic interests in Venezuela.

It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month,” she said.

“It’s about oil and regime change. And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.”

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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