Faculty from the Hillsdale politics and history departments say they approve of the operation to extradite Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, who has led Venezuela for the past quarter century.
Maduro has pled not guilty to narcotics charges in Manhattan’s Southern District of New York after an operation by U.S. armed forces extradited him and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro, from their home in Caracas, Venezuela, the morning of Jan. 3.
“As a Venezuelan, I would have preferred a peaceful, negotiated solution instead of a military action in Venezuela on Jan. 3,” Associate Professor of Spanish and Venezuelan native Victor Carreño said. “At the same time, I believe Maduro must face his charges for drug trafficking among other illegal activities. This could only take place after the Trump-led intervention and the arrest of Maduro in Venezuela.”
The forcible extradition of Maduro by U.S. armed forces was not authorized by Congress, and the country was under no threat of attack. Critics of the move have raised questions about the operation’s threats to the national sovereignty of Venezuela and the constitutional grant of power to Congress to declare war.
“Maduro lost the presidential election in July 2024 and violently repressed the people who protested his fraud,” Carreño said, adding that the United States and the European Union have not recognized Maduro as the legitimate Venezuelan president since 2018. “During all these years of his regime, the Venezuelan people did not have control of its government and territory. Maduro rejected all peaceful calls to facilitate the return to democracy while violating the human rights of the majority of Venezuelans. From a broad perspective and considering these exceptional circumstances, it was necessary to arrest Maduro in order to protect the people’s right to exercise their sovereignty and their other human rights.”
The operation has precedent in American foreign policy, according to Professor of History Paul Moreno. For example, President George H. W. Bush ordered the extradition of de facto leader Manuel Noriega from Panama in 1989.
“There’s certainly no violation of Congress’ power to declare war,” Moreno said.
The president appears to be implementing the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, according to Professor of Politics Thomas West. The strategy, outlined in the 2025 National Security Strategy, aims to secure America’s preeminence in the Western Hemisphere as a condition of the security and prosperity of the nation.
“The Trump Corollary goes beyond the original Monroe Doctrine, which was mainly about keeping foreign powers out of the Western Hemisphere,” West said. “Trump’s concern is to deny resources and commercial benefits to possible adversaries, and to make sure the U.S. retains its own access. That involves actual intervention in recalcitrant governments in the Americas. Thus Venezuela.”
Assistant Professor of Politics Daniel O’Toole agreed with Moreno and West on the questions of legality and American interest: “Put away your pocket Constitution: this was awesome.”
For Venezuelans, the fall of Maduro does not yet signal the end of dictatorship, Carreño said. The presidency, parliament, courts, and armed forces in Venezuela are controlled by a criminal organization allied with Russia, Cuba, Iran, and China, he said.
“After more than 25 years of the Chavez and Maduro authoritarian regimes, the armed forces have the control of the nation, and if they are dismantled suddenly, internal conflicts would arise with the military and with the so called ‘colectivos,’ pro-government paramilitary groups that control territory and intimidate the population,” he said. “This transition will succeed only if international pressure and monitoring — particularly from the United States — continues until the democracy is consolidated.”
