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Wasserman Schultz emphasized that removing a dictator is only the first step, warning that lasting freedom requires institutional change rather than symbolic victory.
The South Florida lawmaker argued that true liberation would come only if Venezuela moves toward democratic legitimacy, cautioning that dismantling tyranny requires more than eliminating one figurehead.
“This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González,” Wasserman Schultz continued.
Another Florida Democrat, Representative Darren Soto, echoed the sentiment from a different region of the state. Soto described the operation as a historic milestone for those who have suffered under Maduro’s rule, though he also criticized the administration’s lack of congressional consultation.
Soto praised the mission as a “major step towards a #VenezuelaLibre,” highlighting the growing divide among Democrats as many struggle to balance ideological opposition to Trump with the reality of Maduro’s record.
Other Democrats were far less charitable.
Several lawmakers quickly condemned the operation as unlawful and reckless, framing it as an unnecessary escalation rather than a decisive strike against narco terrorism and authoritarianism.
“Second unjustified war in my life time. This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year,” Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego wrote on X shortly after 3:00 a.m. Saturday. “There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”
Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff also attacked the mission, accusing President Trump of constitutional overreach and warning of international consequences.
“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,” Schiff said Saturday.
Republicans pushed back forcefully, rejecting claims that the United States is now at war with Venezuela. Trump administration officials have not indicated that further military action is planned, describing the mission as targeted, limited, and decisive.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders in Florida overwhelmingly praised the operation, particularly after confirmation that Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were taken into custody and indicted on federal charges in New York.
“Maduro’s narco-dictatorship has ENDED,” Rep. María Elvira Salazar wrote on X. “The narcoterrorist who poisoned our children, exported crime to our neighborhoods through the Tren de Aragua, and turned Venezuela into a State of terror will now face the justice of the United States.”
Florida Senator Rick Scott framed the operation as a textbook example of deterrence through strength.
“This is peace through strength on full display,” Scott said Saturday. “Today, America and the world are a safer place.”
The significance of the moment is especially profound in South Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan diaspora in the United States. In cities like Doral, nearly 40 percent of residents trace their roots to Venezuela, many having fled political persecution, economic collapse, and rampant violence.
For them, Maduro’s capture is not an abstract geopolitical debate. It is deeply personal.
And for one prominent Democrat willing to say so out loud, it is also long overdue.
