Illinois politicos criticize Trump for strike in Venezuela: ‘reckless and unconstitutional’

Chicago leaders reacts to capture of Venezuela's president

The president's actions are drawing fire from democratic political leaders here in Illinois.

CHICAGO - Illinois members of Congress were critical of President Trump after the U.S. conducted strikes in Venezuela and captured its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife on drug trafficking charges.

The Democratic members, largely from the Chicago area, argued that Trump should have gotten approval for such a military action from Congress, as that is the only branch that can declare war.

What they're saying:

U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-Chicago) said in a statement that the attack in Venezuela was not authorized and demanded that the administration brief Congress on the issue.

"I strongly condemn Trump’s strikes and regime change operation in Venezuela, which he undertook without Congressional consultation and in violation of international law," said Garcia. "Trump’s actions will not stop fentanyl trafficking, as Venezuela doesn’t produce any. Instead, in an imperialist assertion of hemispheric control, Trump’s actions open the doors to his own self-enrichment and that of his oil-executive donors."

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) pointed out that Trump promised to get the country out of involvement in foreign wars. She said his actions in Venezuela are "another stark reminder that he is … a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises."

She added:

"Donald Trump’s reckless and unconstitutional operations in Venezuela—including this morning’s arrest of a foreign leader—are not about enforcing law and order because if they were, he wouldn’t hide them from Congress. Maduro was unquestionably a bad actor, but no President has the authority to unilaterally decide to use force to topple a government, thrusting us and the region into uncertainty without justification, a defined end-state or a real plan for preventing the instability that could come next."

U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) called the capture of Maduro "kidnapping" and said it was "illegal."

"Today’s military operation in Venezuela and the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro are illegal, dangerous violations of international and US law that put us all at risk. The Trump Administration is continuing an agenda of US interventionism in Latin America that has only led to human rights violations, democratic backsliding, economic destabilization, deep poverty, genocide, and mass migration. History has shown us that peace and democracy in Latin America have never been realized through unauthorized United States military intervention."

Gov. JB Pritzker, who has been floated as a top Democratic candidate for president in 2028, was also critical.

"Donald Trump’s unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm's way with no long-term strategy. The American people deserve a President focused on making their lives more affordable," he said in a social media post.

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Highland Park) pointed out that Maduro was indicted in U.S. courts for drug trafficking and"stole" the 2024 election in Venezuela, and called him a "bad actor who deserves to face justice."

But, Schneider added that, "Those facts alone, however, do not relieve President Trump of his constitutional obligations or give him blanket authority to send the U.S. military into a foreign land. 

"President Trump owes the American people clear and convincing evidence that Maduro and the Venezuelan regime posed an imminent threat to the United States and our citizens, and a clear legal justification for using military force without prior authorization from Congress."

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) also struck a similar tone in his statement:

"Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator who has inflicted immense suffering on the Venezuelan people, but that reality does not give any president a blank check to use military force without Congress. By acting without congressional authorization and publicly asserting U.S. control over another sovereign nation, President Trump is abusing presidential power and undermining the Constitution’s separation of powers. The Administration must immediately account for the safety of U.S. personnel, disclose whether there were any casualties, and fully and immediately brief Congress."

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement:

"First and foremost, I disagree with President Trump’s use of U.S. military forces without Congressional approval and worry deeply about this Administration’s follow through on foreign policy interventions. Also, a Justice Department indictment cannot justify the lack of Congressional authorization. At the same time, Nicolás Maduro repeatedly denied the will of the Venezuelan people, including when two thirds of them voted for an end to decades of political and economic ruin and criminality in the summer of 2024. I witnessed with my own eyes their heartbreaking outcries for change when I visited Venezuela in 2018 and shared as much with Maduro at that time.

"I have spoken with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado in recent months and believe she and President-elect Edmundo González have the best interests of the Venezuelan people in mind. They should be allowed to begin the formidable task of rebuilding their own nation."