Venezuelan exiles and activists in South Florida say they are watching closely and with renewed hope after President Donald Trump announced a military strike on a vessel off the coast of Venezuela, calling it part of a campaign against “narcoterrorist networks.”
Trump announces strike on drug-trafficking vessel
The Trump administration ordered its fifth military strike against a vessel allegedly carrying illegal narcotics off the coast of Venezuela.
In a 33-second black-and-white video posted on Truth Social, Trump announced the strike, which showed a stationary boat at sea being destroyed by a missile.
In his post, Trump stated that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.” He added that six “narco-terrorists” were killed in the operation.
South Florida sees strike as signal of political change
In South Florida, home to a large Venezuelan exile community, the strike was seen by some as more than just a drug interdiction.
Venezuelan-American activist Ernesto Ackerman said he views it as a potential turning point in Venezuela’s political crisis.
“We cannot think that President Trump is going to spend millions — because this is costing millions to move destroyers, submarines and Marines to the coast of Venezuela,” Ackerman said. “I think this will be the end of Maduro and his talks completely.”
Ackerman, who fled Venezuela years ago, said he does not believe a full-scale invasion is imminent but suspects Washington may be moving toward a more targeted strategy. “That they’re going to bomb Venezuela — I don’t think so,” he said. “The plan is a very surgical way to take him out.”
“Change is coming,” Gimenez says
During a Monday morning gathering at the American Institute for Cuban Diaspora in Miami, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) echoed that sentiment.
“There are things happening in the Caribbean right now that signal change is coming — and that change needs to happen in Venezuela,” Gimenez said.
Maduro tensions heighten
Nicolás Maduro has long accused the United States of trying to remove him from power. In August, Washington doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of ties to drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks.
As tensions rise in the Caribbean, Venezuelan exiles and activists in South Florida say they remain alert and hopeful the strikes could mark a shift after years of political stalemate and repression under Maduro’s rule.
