Trump Confirms CIA Operations in Venezuela, Floats Possible Ground Invasion

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, escalating an already tense standoff with Caracas following a series of US air strikes in the Caribbean Sea.

Speaking at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, Trump defended the move, citing what he called Venezuela’s “export of criminals” and its role in regional drug trafficking.

“I authorised for two reasons,” he said. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. The other thing is drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela… We’re going to stop them by land also.”

Trump’s comments confirmed earlier reports by The New York Times that the CIA had been given new authorities to operate in Venezuela. When asked by a reporter whether those powers extended to removing President Nicolás Maduro, Trump dodged:

“Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that,” he said, before adding, “But I think Venezuela’s feeling heat.”

The Venezuelan government condemned the decision as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, accusing Washington of preparing the ground for “a regime change operation to seize control of Venezuela’s natural resources.”

At a televised meeting of Venezuela’s National Council for Sovereignty and Peace, Maduro denounced what he called the US’s “colonial obsession” and drew parallels with past military interventions.

“No to regime change that reminds us of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and all the other failed wars,” he said.

Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly invoked wartime powers at home, framing Venezuela as part of a broader “foreign enemy” network responsible for sending migrants and criminals into the US, claims that US intelligence agencies have consistently refuted.

A declassified intelligence report in May found “no evidence” linking Maduro to the Tren de Aragua criminal group, which Trump has blamed for destabilising the US. Still, Trump insists Venezuela is “sending their worst” across the border.