Marking the fifth anniversary of the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol, Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn on Tuesday, January 6, issued a strong condemnation of the Trump administration’s military actions in Venezuela.
“Five years ago on this day, January 6, the violent insurrection on our Capitol foreshadowed the depth of Trump’s lawlessness,” Bichotte Hermelyn told reporters. “Just two days into this new year, the Trump regime has invaded Venezuela and declared control over their oil after capturing President Nicolás Maduro.”
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Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents Brooklyn’s 42nd Assembly District, warned that the administration’s actions pose serious dangers both domestically and internationally.
“These unconstitutional actions by this authoritarian federal government continue to threaten the lives of Americans both abroad and at home, including our immigrant communities in Brooklyn,” she said. “We must unite as Democrats to fight back so Congress can use its powers to stop this rogue power grab and descent into potential war.”
Her comments followed a press conference in Washington, DC, led by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who also sharply criticized Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores.
“Donald Trump and the administration are off starting wars, most recently connected to the unauthorized military action in Venezuela,” Jeffries said. “This was not a law enforcement action. They are lying to the American people when they say that. It was an unprecedented military act.”
Jeffries acknowledged Maduro’s controversial leadership but stressed that foreign intervention was not justified.
“Yes, Maduro is a bad guy, a dictator, someone who was not the legitimate head of government in Venezuela,” he said. “But the future of the Venezuelan people should be determined by the Venezuelan people, not by Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, or Stephen Miller. These people cannot even run the United States of America, and we are supposed to believe they can run a country of 30 million people in South America.”
Jeffries warned that Americans are rejecting the possibility of another unjustified foreign war.
“The American people reject another war driven by Trump’s desire to reward Big Oil while continuing to do nothing to improve the lives of everyday Americans,” he added.
On Saturday, Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke also strongly condemned what she described as Trump’s “unauthorized” military strikes and the forced removal of Maduro from power.
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants and representative for Brooklyn’s 9th Congressional District, said Trump acted without congressional authorization and unlawfully imposed regime change.
“In a brazen affront to the rule of law and the US Constitution, and without any rational consideration of the grave consequences, Donald Trump plunged the United States into yet another dangerous foreign entanglement by launching military strikes on Venezuela’s capital and capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife,” Clarke said.
While acknowledging Maduro’s authoritarian leadership, Clarke emphasized that the operation could not be justified.
“For years, Maduro oppressed his people and weakened his country,” she said. “Venezuelans endured extreme hardship, political instability, and uncertainty under his rule. Many were forced to seek asylum abroad. However, this is not a case where the ends justify the means.”
Clarke argued that the administration’s true motive was economic.
“It has become crystal clear that toppling Maduro for narco trafficking was far from the primary reason,” she said. “This reckless and unconstitutional regime change was driven by the pursuit of oil riches, not national security. This action has no place in US foreign policy. It is an illegal and illegitimate doctrine of extreme aggression.”
International condemnation followed swiftly. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated deep concerns that the military operation undermined fundamental principles of sovereignty.
UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the US action made “all states less safe around the world” and rejected Washington’s justification based on Venezuela’s human rights record.
“Accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law,” she said. “Far from being a victory for human rights, this operation damages the architecture of international security.”
Shamdasani explained that the intervention violates the UN Charter, which prohibits states from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another country.
She also expressed concern that the increased militarization could worsen instability inside Venezuela.
“The High Commissioner calls on the United States, Venezuelan authorities, and the international community to ensure full respect for international law and human rights,” Shamdasani said. “The future of Venezuela must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone, with full respect for their sovereignty, self determination, and control over their own resources.”
The escalating fallout from the US operation continues to reverberate across the international community, raising urgent questions about global security, international law, and the future of democratic governance.
