Violent retaliation against US citizens possible in Venezuela conflict, expert warns
In a significant escalation of U.S. military strategy, President Donald Trump has vowed to take action against drug cartels operating within Venezuela, a move that has raised concerns among national security experts about potential reprisals against American citizens. The Trump administration has already been conducting targeted strikes on cartel operations in the Caribbean, but the president’s recent comments indicate a shift towards direct military intervention in Venezuela itself. Victoria Coates, a former senior national security advisor under Trump, warned in a Fox News Digital interview that such actions could provoke violent retaliation from cartels, which may resort to targeting U.S. citizens on American soil. She highlighted the increasing risks posed by organized crime, especially given the porous nature of the U.S.-Mexico border and the influx of cartel activities during the Biden administration.
Coates emphasized that the Trump administration is acutely aware of the threats posed by Venezuelan cartels, particularly the Cartel de los Soles, which has been linked to President Nicolás Maduro and designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. This cartel is believed to provide support to other criminal organizations operating in the U.S., such as the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, both notorious for their violent crimes. The implications of this situation are dire, with Coates noting that organized crime cells exist within the U.S. for both drug and human trafficking. She stated that federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are on high alert and actively working to monitor and disrupt cartel activities domestically. Coates underscored the importance of Trump’s deportation agenda and crackdown on cartels as vital measures to mitigate these threats.
As tensions escalate, Maduro has framed the U.S. military’s actions as “imperialist aggression,” vowing to defend Venezuela’s territory fiercely. This rhetoric, coupled with the potential for increased cartel violence in the U.S., underscores the complexity of the situation. Coates warns that the threat posed by these cartels has evolved beyond traditional drug enforcement issues, becoming a significant national security concern, particularly as drug-related deaths in the U.S. continue to rise sharply, with over 100,000 fatalities attributed to drug overdoses annually. The evolving landscape of international drug trafficking, especially with Venezuela’s role in the cocaine trade, necessitates a comprehensive approach from the U.S. government to address both the domestic and international dimensions of this crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRLJKMt-0qs
As President Donald Trump
promises U.S. military action
targeting cartel operations within Venezuela’s borders, a national security expert warned there could “absolutely” be reprisals against U.S. citizens on the home front.
The Trump administration has been unleashing deadly strikes on the cartel’s drug boats from Venezuela in the Caribbean for months. Now, the president is saying he will take the fight to Venezuela proper.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, former senior Trump National Security Advisor Victoria Coates said that, though she believes the president has sweeping authority to carry out these operations, there is a possibility
the cartels
will attempt to retaliate by targeting U.S. citizens for terror activities.
Coates, who serves as vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, pointed to the
deadly shooting by an Afghan national
of two National Guard soldiers just blocks from the White House during Thanksgiving week.
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“We don’t know all of what has come into the country during the Biden administration and the open border policies they pursued, but certainly there’s been a lot of latitude for the cartels,” she said.
Coates added that the Trump administration is well aware of these threats and is on high alert for any possible reprisals from cartels or forces supporting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. government has repeatedly linked Maduro to cartel activity. In November, the State Department designated the Cartel de los Soles, allegedly headed by Maduro, a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the administration, the Cartel de los Soles “provides material support” to other terrorist organizations known to be in the U.S., including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel, both of which have been behind several high-profile violent crimes across the country. In 2024, members of Tren de Aragua allegedly seized control of an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, and were terrorizing and extorting the residents.
In late November,
Trump delivered a stern ultimatum
to Maduro to leave Venezuela immediately before announcing the country’s airspace should be closed, according to The
Miami Herald
. According to the outlet, Washington’s warning was delivered in a phone call with Caracas and offered guaranteed evacuation for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores and their son, but only if the dictator agreed to resign on the spot.
Maduro, in turn, framed the escalation as
“imperialist” aggression
from the U.S. and vowed that “if the empire attacks us, we will defend every inch of our territory.”
This resistance could also manifest within the U.S., according to Coates, especially with the known presence of Venezuelan organized crime groups in the country.
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”
They obviously have cells in the United States, both for human trafficking and for drug trafficking. And, so, that is a very, very deep concern,” Coates explained.
Coates said she knows
the FBI
and other law enforcement agencies are closely monitoring these threats and “are being hyper vigilant about it.”
Regarding additional actions the administration should take to mitigate the threat, Coates said this is why
Trump’s deportation agenda
and cartel crackdown are so important.
“That’s what they’re actually doing,” she explained. “They’re trying to track and deport as many of these bad actors as they can. So, that work is ongoing.
“Identifying where the cartels are active, what their assets are in the United States and doing everything we can to disrupt that activity, that’s what our professionals in the FBI do. That’s their job. So, they are doing it.
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“This is a new kind of threat, a drug cartel that is associated with a foreign government,” she said. “That’s why the president is taking the actions that he has.
“The administration [has] kind of [been] feeling their way a little bit to figure out how to get after this threat. But they’re the first ones who have actually confronted it, and I think it’s critically important,” she said.
”
What I think is critical for the American people to realize is this has morphed internationally into something that’s more than a drug enforcement issue,” Coates added. “We’re losing 100,000 citizens a year to the drugs that are coming in. Everyone knows fentanyl; it’s also record amounts of cocaine that are coming out of Venezuela. And it’s gone from being a nuisance to being a major national security threat.”
