DSA demands release of captured Nicolás Maduro after Venezuela operation

The Democratic Socialists of America, the country’s largest socialist group with ties to left-wing leaders such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has long condemned the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and demanded that he and his wife be restored to power as they face criminal charges on U.S. soil.

“Trump Administration launched an illegal war against Venezuela” DSA publishedI won’t scold on Saturday. “This is a blatant imperialist war to install a US puppet government that will turn Venezuela’s oil resources over to US companies and force the US to establish hegemony over Latin America – the new ‘Trump Corollary’ of the Monroe Doctrine. This war is illegal under both international law and the laws governing the declaration of war within the US.”

President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday morning that a successful attack on Venezuela killed no U.S. military personnel, damaged U.S. military equipment and led to the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on sweeping narcotics charges.

Venezuela’s dictatorial president, first elected in 2013, is accused of working with cartels and narcotics gangs in South America and Mexico to distribute millions of kilograms of cocaine to the U.S. Trump had promised to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States during the election campaign, before imposing tariffs on countries like China for deadly fentanyl or boat attacks targeting suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers in the Caribbean when he took office for a near-second term. a year ago.

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The Democratic Socialists of America responded with the statement, “Trump’s war has nothing to do with drug trafficking.”

“There is no proven evidence that senior members of the Venezuelan government are ‘narco-terrorists,'” DSA wrote. “But the Trump administration is using this claim as an excuse for this illegal war. This is another war for regime change to steal another country’s oil and crush any resistance to US imperialism, just like the failed war against Iraq. Trump’s war will only impoverish the people of Latin America.”

Trump hailed the strike over the weekend as a huge success, congratulating the media on the speedy capture of Maduro and his wife while praising the military for carrying out the operation.

“The United States military is the strongest and most fearsome military on the planet. It has capabilities and capabilities that our enemies have never dreamed of. We have the best equipment anywhere in the world,” he said at a press conference about the attack on Saturday.

The Democratic Socialists of America is supported by a handful of left-wing politicians and lawmakers. Mamdani, a longtime DSA member, recently rose through the ranks in New York politics and was elected mayor of the Big Apple in the November election; Lawmakers such as New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib are also prominent members of the left-wing group and have received its support in previous elections.

Protesters gather outside the White House in Washington on Saturday, January 3, 2026, after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

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The Democratic Socialists of America listed seven demands following the dictator’s capture, including the return of Maduro and his wife to Venezuela, “an immediate end to the war,” “an end to the failed war on drugs,” “the removal of all military presence in the Caribbean, and an end to any interventionist operations conducted by SOUTHCOM.”

Maduro and his wife are being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Maduro is expected to appear in court on Monday afternoon.

“Democratic Socialists of America calls on the people of the United States to protest and resist this illegal war and to stand in solidarity with the sovereign people of Venezuela.” he added.

Zohran Mamdani has been elected as the next mayor of New York City in the November 2024 election cycle. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Left-wing political leaders such as Mamdani opposed the US operation in Venezuela, and the newly elected mayor told the public that he spoke directly with Trump following the attack.

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“I called the president and spoke to him directly to express my opposition to this action and to make clear that this is an opposition based on the pursuit of regime change, violation of federal international law and the desire to see this be consistent every day,” Mamdani said Saturday. he said. “I expressed my opposition, I made it clear, and we left it at that.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office Monday morning to ask if Mamdani supported the Democratic Socialists of America’s condemnation of the operation and list of seven demands, but did not immediately receive a response.

President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth join him at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, January 3, 2026. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

While more moderate Democrats also claimed that the strike was unjust and that Congress was not informed before the strike, Republicans largely supported the operation.

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Cotton wrote in I just spoke with @SecRubio and he confirmed that Maduro is in US custody and will face justice for his crimes against our citizens. I commend President Trump and our brave troops and law enforcement for this incredible event. operation.”