1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to express strong opposition to the recent U.S. military actions involving Venezuela in 2025 and early 2026. Over recent months, the U.S. has dramatically escalated its use of force in the region — including repeated lethal strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific purportedly linked to drug trafficking, and what credible news sources report as military strikes inside Venezuelan territory. These actions have reportedly resulted in more than one hundred deaths, and explosions and low-flying aircraft were seen over the Venezuelan capital as the crisis intensified on January 3, 2026. Venezuela’s government has formally condemned these acts as “military aggression.” From a moral perspective, resorting to lethal force outside of clear self-defense or United Nations authorization should be a last resort. The loss of life among suspected traffickers and others raises deep ethical concerns, especially when such strikes occur far from U.S. territory and often without transparent evidence or independent verification. Civilians inevitably feel the consequences in heightened conflict zones, and the fear and instability created by explosions over a capital city should trouble any advocate of human rights and peace. Legally, the U.S. Constitution grants Congress — not the executive branch — the authority to declare war or authorize the prolonged use of military force. There has been no clear congressional authorization for these operations in or near Venezuelan territory. Furthermore, international law generally prohibits the use of force against a sovereign state absent self-defense or UN Security Council approval. Reports indicate that these military actions have been undertaken without such clear legal bases, raising serious constitutional and international law questions. I urge you to act to ensure that the United States upholds both legal norms and moral responsibility. You should: Demand transparency and full legal justification for all military operations related to Venezuela; Reassert Congress’s constitutional role, including requiring formal approval for military action; Promote diplomatic solutions and lawful alternatives to address drug trafficking and regional instability. The American people deserve foreign policy guided by law, ethics, and respect for human life.