Former Miss Venezuela blames ‘socialism and open borders’ for her country’s devastating collapse
In a compelling interview with Fox News Digital, Carmen Maria Montiel, a Houston-area Republican congressional candidate and former Miss Venezuela, reflects on her homeland’s dramatic descent from prosperity to poverty. Once a nation rich in oil and opportunities, Venezuela has been ravaged by decades of political and economic turmoil, largely attributed to the rise of socialism and open borders, according to Montiel. She recalls a time when Venezuela boasted one of the best healthcare systems in Latin America, funded by its oil wealth, but as socialist regimes took hold, essential services crumbled, crime surged, and drug trafficking proliferated. Montiel’s personal journey began in 1988 when she moved to the U.S. for college, hoping for stability in her native country. Instead, she witnessed the violent rise of Hugo Chávez and the subsequent chaos that ensued, leading her to conclude that the situation would only worsen.
Montiel draws a direct line from Chávez’s failed coup attempts to Nicolás Maduro’s current regime, highlighting the pervasive corruption and the influence of drug cartels within the Venezuelan military. She emphasizes that the Maduro government is not merely a political adversary but a “criminal communist regime” that has resorted to drug trafficking as its primary means of survival. U.S. officials have long accused Maduro’s inner circle of engaging in narcotics trafficking, further complicating the situation. Montiel supports recent U.S. military strikes targeting drug trafficking networks off Venezuela’s coast, arguing that these actions are necessary to dismantle the cartel operations that threaten both Venezuela and the United States. With the U.S. Justice Department offering a substantial reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, Montiel believes that a military intervention could be welcomed by the Venezuelan people, who are desperate for change.
As Montiel prepares for the upcoming special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional district, she acknowledges the daunting task of rebuilding Venezuela, should the regime be toppled. “The country is pretty much destroyed,” she states, predicting that it could take decades to restore Venezuela to its former glory. Despite the challenges ahead, Montiel remains hopeful and committed to advocating for her fellow Venezuelans, who she believes are yearning for freedom and a return to democracy. Her candidacy is not just a political endeavor; it is a personal mission to bring attention to the plight of her homeland and to rally support for those still suffering under the weight of a regime that has betrayed its people.
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Americans unfamiliar with Venezuela may not know that in the not-so-distant past the nation was rich with oil and opportunity.
Congressional candidate Carmen Maria Montiel remembers a Venezuela that brimmed with optimism — before decades of political and economic turmoil turned it into one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.
”
Socialism and open borders
,” Montiel told Fox News Digital in an interview, are what sent her country into decline.
The Houston-area Republican won the Miss Venezuela title at age 19 in 1984 and later finished as a runner-up for Miss Universe. But long before her pageant fame, she says, Venezuela’s political foundations were already beginning to crack.
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While the nation remained a democracy for decades, two socialist parties dominated power.
“We got the influx of illegal immigrants, crime went up, drugs started to be a problem,” she said. “The first thing they destroyed was the healthcare system. Venezuela used to have one of the most wonderful healthcare systems — it was paid for, it was our social security. Because the country was so rich, it provided so many services to the Venezuelan people. And of course, no country has the infrastructure for a vertical growth of the population.”
Montiel came to the U.S. for college in 1988, hoping the unrest at home would ease. Instead, she watched from abroad as Hugo Chávez led two coup attempts in 1992, and the country erupted in riots and looting.
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“I decided I’m gonna stay a little longer, see if things get better,” she said. “But they never did.”
From Chávez’s failed coup to Nicolás Maduro’s current hold on power, Montiel sees a straight line — one she says runs through corruption, cartel influence and foreign alliances with Russia and Iran.
“Communism always runs out of money,” Montiel said. “Even in a rich country like Venezuela, oil production collapsed, and what was left for them was crime. That’s why they joined the cartels — it’s a criminal communist regime.”
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U.S. officials have long accused members of Maduro’s inner circle of involvement in narcotics trafficking, particularly through the
Cartel de los Soles
— a network of Venezuelan military officers implicated in smuggling cocaine to North America and Europe. Washington has also sanctioned dozens of Venezuelan officials for corruption and ties to terrorist groups, though Caracas denies the charges.
Montiel supports the recent U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking networks off Venezuela’s coast and believes they are justified given the threat she says the regime poses to the United States.
“Venezuela presents a very high risk to the United States,” she said. “It’s the drug trafficking, the Tren de Aragua trafficking … the problems that many Venezuelan people escaped, now we’re facing in the United States.”
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The Department of War has conducted 14 lethal strikes on vessels allegedly smuggling narcotics toward U.S. shores over the past two months.
In Montiel’s view, dismantling cartel networks and exposing the Venezuelan military’s complicity are essential steps toward toppling the regime. “This is a criminal communist regime and we should never remove the word ‘communist,’” she said.
At the same time, the U.S. has intensified pressure on Maduro, whom it does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. The Justice Department is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
Analysts have questioned whether the widening military campaign may have a deeper objective: pushing Venezuela’s socialist leader from power.
A U.S. intervention aimed at removing Maduro would likely divide Americans still wary of foreign entanglements. But Montiel insists Venezuelans themselves would welcome it.
“The people that are still in Venezuela are supporters of President
Donald Trump
because they’re screaming for freedom,” she said. “They’re screaming to get out of the situation.”
Still, she acknowledges that removing the regime alone won’t rebuild the country.
“The country is pretty much destroyed,” she said. “It’s worse than any third world country. It’s going to take probably 30 years to get Venezuela back to what it used to be.”
Montiel is running in the Nov. 4, 2025, special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional district, a heavily Democratic Houston seat left vacant after the death of Sylvester Turner.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
