An emergency protest was called on the corner of Blackstone and Nees avenues to denounce the U.S. \u201coccupation\u201d of Venezuela on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United States launched a large-scale military strike on Venezuela<\/a> on Jan. 3, including air and ground operations that rocked the capital, Caracas, with explosions and low-flying aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump said Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife were captured<\/a> and flown out of the country to face charges in U.S. courts. Maduro arrived in a Brooklyn jail in the afternoon, the same day as his arrest.<\/p>\n Corey Seabloom, a Jan. 3 protester, said that this situation is a part of a much larger issue of the United States\u2019 relations with other nations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seabloom says U.S. actions in Venezuela resemble its treatment of other countries like Iran and Sudan, calling the United States \u201cself-serving\u201d for its actions abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say we\u2019re going down there \u2026 [for] selfish issues,\u201d Seabloom said.<\/p>\n On Dec. 6, 2025, there was a similar protest in Fresno<\/a> to denounce the U.S. military\u2019s decision to attack Venezuelan boats in the Atlantic.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jerry Bill, a member of Peace Fresno, called the United States\u2019 actions in Venezuela illegal. He says the reason why he wanted to come out was to denounce those actions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is illegal under U.S. law, illegal under international law and somebody needs to say something about it,\u201d Bill said. \u201cSilence gives consent and I don\u2019t want to be silent about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bill also says that this sets a dangerous precedent for U.S. international relations.<\/p>\n Background<\/p>\n The strike followed the Trump administration\u2019s months-long plan to apply pressure on Maduro, his government and Venezuelan drug cartels, which included the buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats<\/a> in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Since these naval operations, the U.S. has been more aggressive and direct with their actions regarding Venezuela.<\/p>\n Trump also blames Maduro for Venezuelans entering the United States. Trump claims<\/a> this has led to an influx of drugs, like fentanyl and cocaine, and cartels in America.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last week, the CIA was found to be behind a drone strike<\/a> at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels; this is the first direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.<\/p>\n As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes was 35 and the number of deaths from the boat strikes is at least 115, according to the Trump administration<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump said that the U.S. is engaged in an \u201carmed conflict\u201d with drug cartels<\/a> and has justified the boat strikes as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S.<\/p>\n The strikes that hit Caracas on Saturday also hit other states like Miranda, with reports of explosions and damage at major military installations. Power flickered out in parts of the capital amid the strikes, and social media was filled with videos of blasts and airborne military jets<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s announcement came via social media<\/a> and later in a press conference, where he described the operation as a success and claimed the U.S. would remain deeply involved in shaping Venezuela\u2019s future.<\/p>\n During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump revealed that Venezuela is under American control and could deploy U.S. military forces if deemed necessary for security.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,\u201d Trump said<\/a>. \u201cWe can\u2019t take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn\u2019t have the interests of Venezuelans in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is part of a core team, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, designated by Trump to temporarily run Venezuela during a transition period.<\/p>\n Hegseth praised a \u201cflawlessly executed\u201d joint military and law enforcement raid that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife. He went on to praise Trump, saying he is \u201cdeadly serious\u201d about Venezuela and the U.S. occupation of the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hegseth claimed that Maduro \u201chad his chance\u201d to avoid his capture and attack on Venezuelan soil.<\/p>\n \u201cHe effed around and he found out,\u201d Hegseth said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Venezuelan officials have denounced the attacks as unjustified aggression that threw the nation into chaos and uncertainty.\u00a0<\/p>\n Maduro\u2019s party leaders have accused the United States of targeting and attacking civilian and military institutions, calling it an \u201cimperialist attack<\/a>\u201d and calling on their citizens to take to the streets.<\/p>\n After the couple was captured and escorted out of the country, an unsealed indictment<\/a> from the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, posted by Attorney General Pamela Bondi on X<\/a>, says that Maduro and his wife are being charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy \u2014 along with four others.<\/p>\n