US capture of Maduro in Venezuela criticized as violation of international, US law

"President Donald Trump's decision to send U.S. forces into Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and return them to the U.S. to face drug charges elicited condemnation from legal experts and other critics who argued that the operation conducted without congressional or United Nations approval clearly violated U.S. and international law. Such criticism came from Democratic leaders, international allies and adversaries including Mexico, France, China and Russia, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and experts on international law and wartime powers."

"Nicolas Maduro was a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela, terrorizing and oppressing its people for far too long and forcing many to leave the country. But starting a war to remove Maduro doesn't just continue Donald Trump's trampling of the Constitution, it further erodes America's standing on the world stage and risks our adversaries mirroring this brazen illegal escalation, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote on X."

"A U.N. spokesman said Guterres was deeply alarmed by the U.S. operation and deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected. China's foreign ministry said such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela's sovereignty, while France's foreign minister said the U.S. operation contravenes the principle of the non-use of force that underpins international law."

U.S. forces entered Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and return them to the United States to face drug charges. Legal experts, foreign governments and the U.N. condemned the action as conducted without congressional or U.N. approval and as violating U.S. and international law. Reactions included alarm from the U.N., criticism from China and France over sovereignty and use-of-force principles, and warnings that the operation could encourage similar illegal actions by other states. Republicans largely defended the operation as decisive and justified, while some GOP members raised concerns about unilateral executive authority.

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