Official Statement from Virginia LULAC on the Venezuelan Humanitarian Crisis

January 6th, 2026

Virginia LULAC calls on the United States Congress and federal administration to act with urgency, humanity, and accountability in response to the rapidly unfolding crisis in Venezuela following the recent U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While Maduro has been widely criticized for his authoritarian rule, the means by which he was removed, a U.S. military intervention that has significantly intensified political instability and administrative upheaval in an already fragile nation.

On January 3, 2026, during a large-scale strike known as Operation Absolute Resolve, U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas and transported them to the United States to face federal charges. Maduro and Flores have since pled not guilty in federal court in New York. (Finley et al., A timeline of U.S. military escalation against Venezuela leading to Maduro's capture 2026 PBS, https://tinyurl.com/2taz768w)

This unprecedented military action, condemned by numerous global leaders as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and raising profound legal and humanitarian concerns, has triggered further turmoil within Venezuela and heightened uncertainty for Venezuelans everywhere.

Virginia LULAC emphasizes the following priorities:

1. Acknowledge the Human Cost of U.S. Intervention

While Virginia LULAC recognizes the serious concerns regarding Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian governance and the profound humanitarian crisis that has long afflicted Venezuela, we also stress that the recent U.S. military operation to capture Maduro has further exacerbated political and administrative upheaval in an already fragile country, intensifying instability at a moment when Venezuelans urgently need peace and humanitarian support. The conduct of this operation, without broad international mandate or full advance consultation with Congress, has drawn bipartisan scrutiny from lawmakers who emphasize that decisions with such far-reaching consequences should involve Congress’s constitutional role in matters of war, peace, and foreign policy. We believe this situation could have been approached more effectively through a coordinated diplomatic solution that prioritized peace-building, regional cooperation, and multilateral engagement rather than reliance on military force that risks deepening insecurity for innocent civilians already suffering from economic collapse, shortages of basic necessities, and ongoing humanitarian strain.

2. Reinstate and Expand TPS for Venezuelans in the United States

With continued instability in Venezuela and the disruption following U.S. military action and political upheaval, it is imperative that Congress reinstate and strengthen Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals living in the United States. The current administration’s recent termination of TPS for Venezuelans, which previously protected an estimated hundreds of thousands of migrants from deportation, has left more than half a million people in legal limbo and at risk of removal despite ongoing humanitarian concerns and uncertainty about conditions in Venezuela. TPS was meant to protect individuals from being forced to return to a country facing armed conflict, political instability, and extraordinary conditions that make safe return untenable. With the current political and security vacuum in Venezuela, including uncertainty about governance and the safety of returnees, many Venezuelans who have built lives, contributed to the U.S. economy, and raised families here now face the prospect of deportation into chaos rather than an orderly transition. Re-instituting and expanding TPS, and providing clear legislative pathways for its durability, reflects a humane, bipartisan approach that protects vulnerable people while giving Congress a meaningful role in shaping U.S. immigration and foreign policy.

3. Create Humanitarian Pathways and Grant Refugee Status

Virginia LULAC urges Congress to create and expand clear and humane pathways to refugee status for Venezuelans fleeing persecution, violence, economic collapse, and the profound uncertainties made worse by the recent U.S. military operation and political upheaval following Nicolás Maduro’s capture. We recognize that conditions in Venezuela were already dire long before the recent military action, with years of economic collapse and humanitarian suffering forcing mass migration. Now, with the added uncertainty and potential for deeper instability tied to the U.S. raid in Caracas and Maduro’s ongoing legal proceedings in the United States, the need for a safe, structured, and official refugee pathway is even more urgent. An estimated eight million Venezuelans have fled the country since before, with the vast majority seeking safety in neighboring countries and beyond. Although the U.S. government recently ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, placing hundreds of thousands at risk of deportation amid ongoing violence and uncertainty, the Department of Homeland Security has indicated that individuals previously under TPS may apply for refugee status. However, current U.S. refugee admissions are limited, and many Venezuelans in the United States remain without adequate legal protections. A truly humanitarian approach must recognize the real and substantial danger that returning refugees would face in a deeply destabilized Venezuela and must adopt legislative solutions that expand refugee status eligibility, increase refugee admission numbers, and ensure that U.S. policy offers genuine protection to those in need rather than compounding their vulnerability.

4. Restore and Strengthen USAID

The dismantling or weakening of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has limited America’s ability to provide constructive humanitarian assistance to crisis-affected countries like Venezuela. In light of this emergency, Virginia LULAC demands that Congress fully reinstate and adequately fund USAID as an independent agency so that the United States can support peace-building, public health, food security, and reconstruction in ways that promote stability and dignity. USAID has long been a global peace maker that's only intent was for the good of helping and offer humanitarian aid. We demand that Congress reinstate the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose core mission was to provide humanitarian and development assistance, promote global health, and support economic and democratic progress in nations facing crisis,so that the United States can once again lead with compassion and help those enduring hardship and instability abroad.

5. Uphold International Law and Human Rights

International institutions and world leaders have expressed concern regarding the legality and broader implications of the U.S. operation in Venezuela. As international reactions underscore, respect for international law, sovereignty, and human rights must remain central to any U.S. foreign policy approach, especially when actions risk destabilizing a region already in humanitarian distress.

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About Virginia LULAC

Virginia LULAC is the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s longest-serving Latino civil rights organization. Our mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.

Contact:

Virginia LULAC

virginialulacofficial@gmail.com

valulac.org