The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) told a federal court in a filing that U.S. force against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was justified in part by humanitarian harms tied to illegal mining.
In the filing, DOJ attorneys said presidents have repeatedly relied on military force to prevent or mitigate humanitarian disasters, particularly when mass civilian displacement threatens regional stability. The department cited prior executive branch legal opinions recognizing the use of force to protect civilians abroad, drawing parallels to law-enforcement situations where officers act to shield bystanders from dangerous criminals.
The filing stated that conditions in Venezuela met that threshold. The document pointed to public reporting showing that more than 20 million Venezuelans live in multidimensional poverty, lacking reliable access to food and essential medicine. Of those, more than 14 million reportedly face severe humanitarian need, with shortages affecting nearly one-third of pharmaceutical dispensaries nationwide.
Operation Absolute Resolve. pic.twitter.com/KOtW0C0V1O
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026
Should U.S. military action against Maduro be justified based on humanitarian concerns related to illegal mining?
The Justice Department said illegal mining operations worsened those conditions. According to the filing, mining activity displaced indigenous populations and intensified child labor abuses, including reports involving children as young as seven. DOJ attorneys cited findings from the State Department’s 2024 human rights report describing how criminal mining networks operated with impunity under Maduro’s rule.
“Over 14 million of those individuals ‘face severe humanitarian need’ with medicines ‘unavailable at 28.4 percent of pharmaceutical dispensaries’ and 5.1 million people facing hunger. Further, illegal mining has led to the displacement of indigenous communities and exacerbated issues involving child labor—including children as young as seven,” the court filing stated.
President Donald Trump announced Jan. 3 on Truth Social that U.S. forces had captured Maduro and removed him from the country during what he described as a “large-scale strike” targeting Maduro and his government. Trump said the operation was conducted alongside U.S. law enforcement.
Trump said on Christmas Eve 2025 that if Maduro “plays tough,” it would be “the last time he’ll ever be able to play tough.” The Venezuelan dictator, who ruled for nearly 13 years before being toppled, later accused the United States of escalating tensions ahead of the attack, which reportedly unfolded across multiple locations in Caracas.
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