The recent US military incursion into Venezuela, framed by the Trump administration as a mission to liberate its people, stands in stark contradiction to the President's domestic policies affecting Venezuelan refugees, according to a detailed analysis.
Domestic Actions Undermine Liberation Rhetoric
If genuine concern for Venezuelan freedom motivated Donald Trump, critics argue he would not have lifted the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 600,000 Venezuelan refugees residing in the United States. These individuals fled the very tyranny and economic collapse the US now claims to be confronting.
Further undermining the liberation narrative, the administration deported 238 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador's controversial Cecot detention centres. Reports indicate only six had violent crime convictions, and none appeared on international lists of 1,400 suspected gang members. Concurrently, travel bans affecting 39 countries, including Venezuela and Iran—nations whose people Trump threatens to 'rescue'—have been imposed. Freedom House categorises 24 of these nations as 'not free'.
Parallels in Repression: Maduro's and Trump's Playbooks
An examination of human rights reports reveals unsettling parallels between the methods of Nicolás Maduro's regime and policies pursued or proposed by the Trump administration. Amnesty International's 2024 report on Venezuela details repression of protest, obstruction of independent media, arbitrary arrests of opponents, and dire detention conditions involving torture.
While the scale differs, analogous tendencies are visible in the US context. Under the guise of combating antisemitism, student abductions have occurred, and non-profits aiding Palestine face government pressure. Immigration enforcement has turned deadly, with 20 deaths in Department of Homeland Security custody by October—the deadliest year since 2005. Asylees face deportation to countries where they risk torture or death.
Furthermore, Trump's restoration of the federal death penalty contributed to 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shootings have resulted in multiple fatalities, including bystanders.
Geopolitical Motives Over Democratic Ideals
The analysis suggests geopolitical and economic interests, not democratic principles, are driving US strategy. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly favour Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's vice-president, over opposition leader María Corina Machado. Trump stated Rodríguez is 'willing to do what we think is necessary', implying she could be coerced to facilitate US oil extraction.
A quick, fair election in Caracas, which Machado advocates, would eliminate the pretext for maintaining control while exploiting resources. Experts warn that any resistance to a US-backed takeover—whether from paramilitaries, Maduro loyalists, or proxies of China, Iran, or Russia—would likely be met with a harsh crackdown, escalating human rights violations.
Ultimately, critics contend the only freedom Trump prioritises is his own—to exert power and enrich his circle. Achieving this, they argue, may come at the cost of kidnapping, murder, and further erosion of the international legal order designed to protect peace, democracy, and human rights.
