Overview
- At a Jan. 5 news conference in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the Jan. 3 Caracas operation and said Nicolás Maduro "deserves to be brought to justice."
- DeSantis, who in 2019 cautioned against U.S. boots on the ground in Venezuela, framed the raid as a law-enforcement action and called Maduro a cartel leader.
- Speaking at an immigration enforcement event, DeSantis linked the case to border and drug-trafficking concerns and touted more than 10,000 arrests under state operations.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and Cilia Flores face Southern District of New York indictments alleging narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and machine-gun and destructive-device offenses.
- Democratic reactions split, with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz welcoming Maduro's capture and Rep. Yvette Clarke condemning the U.S. operation as illegal without congressional approval.