Nearly 200 people gathered Saturday evening for a “No War With Venezuela” protest in downtown Dallas, mere hours after U.S. President Donald Trump carried out the most assertive American action for regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Following months of secret planning, Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured early Saturday at their home on a military base.
During a news conference, Trump revealed his plans to exploit the leadership void to “fix” the country’s oil infrastructure and sell “large amounts” of oil to other countries.
Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela until a transition of power takes place, though it remains unclear how the U.S. would assume control.
Breaking News
In Dallas’ Main Street Garden Park, signs reading “U.S. hands off Venezuela” were met with honks by passing vehicles as participants chanted: “Venezuela isn’t yours, no more coups, no more wars. We know what we’re fighting for, not another endless war.”
“We are gathered here today because injustice has crossed another line,” Zeeshan Hafeez, a Democratic primary candidate for Texas’ Congressional District 33, said as he addressed the crowd. “This is not just about Venezuela. This is not just about Gaza.
“This is about whether America will be ruled by law or force.”
Demonstrators gather at the corner of Commerce and Harwood Streets during a ‘No War with Venezuela’ protest at Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Rick Majumdar, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization Dallas, told The Dallas Morning News that the message of Saturday’s collective action was simple: “We don’t want the United States to go to another war for oil.”
“The people of the United States should stand in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, as well as stand against the oppression that is happening to immigrants in this country,” Majumdar said. “Stand in solidarity with both Venezuelans in the United States and those in Venezuela.”
Related
Maduro and his wife landed Saturday afternoon in New York to face prosecution for a Justice Department indictment accusing them of participating in a narco-terrorism conspiracy. The indictment painted the regime as a “corrupt, illegitimate government” fueled by a drug trafficking operation that flooded the U.S with cocaine.
Lawmakers from both political parties have previously raised both profound reservations and flat-out objections to U.S. attacks on boats suspected of drug smuggling near the Venezuelan coast.
Congress has not specifically authorized the use of military force for such operations in the region, and leaders said they were not notified of the plan to seize Maduro until it was already underway.
“I’m appalled that we broke a law and decided that we can invade a country and capture their leader,” said Cynthia Ball, who has considered Dallas home for years, at the protest. “Normal citizens like ourselves can’t do a lot at a governmental level, but if we band together and stay informed, hopefully we can get our city to see what’s happening.”
Other officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, supported the move, explaining the secretive nature was necessary to preserve the operation’s integrity. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called it a “decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives”
Venezuela’s vice president has demanded the U.S. free Maduro and called him the country’s rightful leader.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nearly 200 people gather for ‘No War With Venezuela’ protest in downtown Dallas
View Gallery