Periodista egresada de la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Le gusta escribir sobre política e historias humanas que puedan transformar vidas. Actualmente cursa un master...
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U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that Nicolás Maduro “has to go,” in a statement that comes in parallel with the tightening of Washington’s military, political, and economic measures on Caracas.
Noem formulated that position in an interview with Fox News, while the United States is advancing with the seizure in the Caribbean Sea of tankers carrying Venezuelan crude. According to the official, it is not just about intercepting vessels, but about sending a deterrent signal to state and private actors involved in what Washington considers illicit activities.
“We are sending a message to the whole world: the illegal activity in which Maduro participates cannot be tolerated,” Noem said during the interview. She added that her government will act to “defend our people,” referring to the effects of drug trafficking in the United States.
The secretary insisted that the Venezuelan regime uses oil revenues in dollars to sustain drug trafficking networks that, she said, fuel the drug consumption crisis in US territory. For years, Chavismo has rejected these accusations and denies any institutional link with criminal organizations.
Noem’s statements align with the discourse of President Donald Trump, who in recent days stated that Maduro “has his days numbered.” However, official US sources emphasize that the formal objective of the current strategy is to curb drug trafficking and recover the “oil rights” of US companies affected by sanctions and expropriations.
On Sunday, Washington reported that it is maintaining an “active pursuit” to intercept a third tanker near the Venezuelan coast. The announcement came after Trump ordered a blockade on the entry and exit of Venezuela of all vessels sanctioned by the US government, a measure that expands the scope of economic pressure.
That blockade is the result of months of U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean. According to the Pentagon, the operation seeks to intercept vessels allegedly loaded with drugs that Washington links to structures close to power in Caracas, an accusation that has been part of the U.S. narrative for more than a decade.
Within that framework, the United States maintains that Maduro leads the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a drug trafficking network made up of high-ranking Venezuelan civilian and military officials. The Venezuelan regime has repeatedly denied the existence of this organization and describes the accusations as a pretext to justify sanctions and actions of force.
From Caracas, the response has been direct. Maduro accused the United States of “piracy” for the seizure of ships with Venezuelan crude and announced that his government will take action so that these acts “do not go unpunished.” Among them, he announced a complaint to the UN Security Council.
The escalation occurs in a context of practically broken relations between both countries, marked by economic sanctions, legal proceedings in US courts, and a prolonged diplomatic confrontation. In the short term, the standoff in the Caribbean anticipates an increase in regional tension, with direct implications for the energy market and maritime security in one of the most sensitive routes in the hemisphere.
Periodista egresada de la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). Le gusta escribir sobre política e historias humanas que puedan transformar vidas. Actualmente cursa un master en Comunicación Política y Marketing Digital.
