FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 3, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
San Francisco Latino Democratic Club Statement Condemning Unauthorized U.S. Military Action in Venezuela
The San Francisco Latino Democratic Club condemns President Donald Trump’s unlawful military assault on Venezuela and the reported removal of Venezuela’s head of state. The President has now publicly suggested the United States will “run” Venezuela and open the country to massive oil interests.
This action is clearly launched without the express authorization of Congress, violating the Constitution’s core separation of powers and undermining the most basic democratic safeguard against unilateral war, and is not the first time this year the President has used military powers in sidestepping Congressional authority . Congress - not any President - holds the power to declare war, and the American people deserve transparency, and lawful process before U.S. force is used to topple governments abroad.
We also denounce any effort to impose a coup or install a U.S.-controlled political order in another sovereign nation. Latin America has endured generations of intervention justified by shifting pretexts - “security,” “anti-drug,” or “stability” - while communities pay the price in lives lost, displacement, repression, and long-term instability. The US is hypocritical in nature, destabilizing Latin American countries and forcing northward migration, only to oppose immigrants seeking asylum from the very countries the US interfered with.
At the end of the day, Venezuelans alone must determine Venezuela’s future.
This moment echoes a painful precedent: the U.S. invasion of Panama (1989–1990)- where U.S. forces entered a Latin American nation, captured its leader, and reshaped its political order under U.S. terms. Today’s Venezuela operation follows that same interventionist template, now paired with explicit talk of oil control and U.S. management of another country’s resources.
We call for:
• Immediate congressional hearings and public transparency of legal justification, operational scope, civilian impacts, and end goals with this illegal military operation.
• An end to any occupation or imposed governance and an immediate shift to diplomacy through reinstatement of democratic institutions in Venezuela.
• Accountability under U.S. and international law, and respect for the rights and safety of civilians and the Venezuelan people.
Our community knows history. We reject imperialist politics - no matter who is President. We stand with Venezuelan families, our immigrant communities, and for foreign international policy rooted in democracy and human rights.
San Francisco Latino Democratic Club