Washington, D.C.: President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the airspace over and surrounding Venezuela is now considered completely closed, marking the sharpest escalation yet in the ongoing standoff with Nicolás Maduro’s government.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned airlines, pilots, drug traffickers, and human traffickers that the skies above the South American nation are off-limits. The brief statement offered no timeline or additional details but comes amid a heavy U.S. military presence in the Caribbean.
Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry quickly condemned the move as a “colonialist threat” to national sovereignty and an illegal act of aggression. Caracas also said the declaration has immediately halted scheduled repatriation flights that have returned more than 13,900 Venezuelan migrants from the United States this year alone, with 75 flights completed so far.
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On Venezuela’s coast, the armed forces staged live-fire exercises Saturday, deploying troops, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft systems. State television broadcast footage of the drills, which commanders described as preparations to repel any foreign incursion.
The White House has framed the military buildup, including the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and supporting warships, as an operation to disrupt drug smuggling routes. Since early September, U.S. forces have conducted more than 20 strikes on suspected narco-vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 83 deaths. No public evidence has been released linking the targeted boats to drug trafficking.
Domestic criticism grew louder over the weekend. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Trump’s actions risk pulling the United States into another costly overseas conflict, while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene reminded followers that only Congress can declare war.
Air travel has already taken a major hit. Six international carriers serving South America, including Iberia, TAP Air Portugal, Avianca, LATAM Colombia, GOL, and Turkish Airlines, suspended flights to Venezuela after a U.S. safety advisory last week. Venezuela retaliated by revoking their operating permits.
Despite the suspensions, activity continued Saturday at Simón Bolívar International Airport outside Caracas, with domestic and some remaining international flights still operating.
Reports also surfaced Friday that Trump and Maduro spoke by phone last week and discussed the possibility of a face-to-face meeting in the United States, a revelation that has added a layer of intrigue to an otherwise confrontational period.
The rapidly evolving situation has left regional neighbors on edge, with the Dominican Republic granting U.S. forces access to its airfields and Trinidad and Tobago recently hosting Marine Corps exercises. As American fighter jets continue patrols just miles off Venezuela’s coast, analysts say the risk of miscalculation remains high.
