Maduro Vows to Declare 'Republic in Arms' if U.S. Caribbean Forces Attack Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas after testifying before the electoral chamber at the main headquarters of the Supreme Court of Justice on Aug. 2, 2024.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro vowed on September 1, 2025, to “constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if U.S. forces in the Caribbean attack Venezuela, escalating fears of conflict amid a significant U.S. naval deployment. Maduro labeled the U.S. presence an “extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral, and absolutely criminal and bloody threat,” accusing the Trump administration of seeking regime change under the pretext of combating Latin American drug cartels.

The U.S. has deployed two Aegis guided-missile destroyers, USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham, alongside the destroyer USS Sampson, the cruiser USS Lake Erie, and a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine in the Caribbean, with plans to expand the force with three amphibious assault ships carrying over 4,000 sailors and Marines. While U.S. officials, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, insist the deployment targets drug cartels and not a land invasion, Maduro’s government views it as a direct threat to Venezuela’s sovereignty.

In response, Maduro has mobilized 15,000 troops along Venezuela’s coast and border with Colombia, deployed warships and drones to patrol territorial waters, and urged citizens to join civilian militias, claiming 4.5 million are ready to defend the nation. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, citing a 2023 UN report, dismissed U.S. drug trafficking allegations, noting that 87% of Colombian cocaine departs via the Pacific, with only 5% moving through Venezuela, calling the U.S. narrative a “false pretext” that risks regional destabilization.

Tensions stem from longstanding U.S.-Venezuela friction, intensified by the Trump administration’s doubling of a reward to $50 million for Maduro’s arrest on drug trafficking charges, including alleged leadership of the Cartel de los Soles, designated a terrorist organization. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has supported the U.S. deployment, calling it the “right approach” against Maduro’s “criminal enterprise,” while Maduro insists he legitimately won the contested July 2024 election, a claim rejected by the U.S. and many regional governments.

Regional leaders, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, have warned against the U.S. buildup, fearing escalation. Maduro, maintaining communication with the Trump administration via envoy Richard Grenell, cautioned that U.S. military action would “stain” President Trump’s “hands with blood,” invoking failed U.S. interventions in Vietnam and Iraq. Analysts like David Smilde of Tulane University describe the U.S. strategy as “gunboat diplomacy” to pressure Maduro, though a full invasion remains unlikely.