Washington, DC, January 5, 2026 | The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) joins the international condemnation of the U.S.’ military attacks against Venezuela, which have reportedly killed at least 80 people, and abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, a prominent Venezuelan lawyer and politician.

Far from a “law enforcement” operation, the Trump administration’s statements and actions make clear that the bombing of Caracas and the abduction of Maduro is nothing more than a continuation of the U.S.’ decades-long campaign to control Venezuela’s natural resources and intervene in their governance.

The Trump administration’s attempt to justify its unlawful military actions as “combating criminal networks” sets an incredibly dangerous precedent for the region and for the world. It is also grossly hypocritical, given Trump’s recent pardoning of former Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernández.

Alarmingly, so much of what Trump is doing, both domestically, including in his war on immigrants, and now internationally - acting as if accusing someone of a crime justifies the state’s own violations of the law, using the military for “law enforcement” - echoes the nightmare Bukele has created in El Salvador. Bukele’s systematic use of the military for domestic security has struck a blow to the democratic safeguards of the 1992 Peace Accords.

We reject the United States’ imperialist aggression against Venezuela and reassertion of an intensified Monroe Doctrine to attempt to dominate Latin America. We call on elected officials to put a halt to U.S. intervention and urge our communities to mobilize to defend the sovereignty and self-determination of the people of Venezuela, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Hands off Venezuela! Long live international solidarity!

Please join us in telling Congress to end U.S. military attacks in Venezuela! 

Decisive, worldwide condemnation of the Trump Administration's actions is urgent - and that includes from the U.S. Congress.

Not only do these actions constitute grave violations of international law, but they also have all happened without congressional approval.

Several Members of Congress have gone public with statements that the Trump administration lied to them about their plans in Venezuela, pledging no land invasion or attempts at regime change.

This is all the more reason why Congress must reassert its authority over foreign hostilities: to check the administration, make sure these attacks do not evolve into a full-fledged war and prevent any more deaths. The Senate will vote THIS WEEK on another War Powers Resolution to block further U.S. military action within or against Venezuela without first getting Congressional approval. Click here to contact your Senator TODAY to urge them to vote yes!

The Salvadoran social movement denounces U.S. attacks against Venezuela

Salvadoran social movement groups have also condemned Saturday morning's attacks, releasing statements and organizing solidarity actions at the location of the former Venezuelan Embassy, which the Bukele regime shuttered in 2019.

Additional resources

Looking for additional perspectives? Check out these resources for helpful background and analysis:

• Michael Fox for the Real News Network: Trump invades Venezuela, kidnaps Maduro, and hurls the Western hemisphere into chaos
• Professors Miguel Tinker-Salas, Alejandro Velasco, and David Cole and Andreína Chávez, a Venezuelan reporter based in Caracas on Democracy Now!
• Report by the Center for Economic and Political Research (CEPR): Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela (2019)
• Interview with historian Greg Grandin on Democracy Now! Trump's Regime Change Operation Ramps Up with Blockade of Venezuelan Oil
• An overview of the legal implications of the U.S.’ actions from Just Security: International Law and the U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Operations in Venezuela