{"id":27031,"date":"2026-01-04T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T17:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/?p=27031"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:48:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T17:48:50","slug":"statement-on-u-s-military-strikes-in-venezuela-january-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/statement-on-u-s-military-strikes-in-venezuela-january-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement on U.S. Military Strikes in Venezuela January 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b> January 04, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact<\/b>: Pablo DeJes\u00fas | <\/span>info@uusj.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Share<\/strong>: https:\/\/bit.ly\/VenezuelaStrikes<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

UUSJ Condemns Assault on Venezuela\u2019s Sovereignty<\/b><\/h2>\n

War, fueled by avarice, is immoral and unlawful without Congressional authorization <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Washington, DC –\u00a0 On Saturday, January 3, 2026, President Trump announced military action against Venezuela and subsequently the intent to <\/span>run the country.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) made the following announcement.<\/span><\/p>\n

#-#<\/span><\/p>\n

Pablo DeJes\u00fas, Executive Director, UUSJ<\/b>, stated: \u201cIn the actions by President Trump, and his administration, we see a belief that \u2018might makes right,\u2019 a \u2018mandate to meddle,\u2019 a gateway to <\/span>\u2018ceaseless intervention,\u2019 and the glimmers of \u2018endless war.\u2019<\/span><\/a> We name the harms of U.S. style white \u2018supremacy\u2019 and imperialist \u2018entitlement\u2019 as well as an inclination toward autocracy, bound up in their use of <\/span>Unitary Executive Theory<\/span><\/a>. We reject the linkage between the \u2018War on Drugs\u2019 and the \u2018War on Terrorism,\u2019 and we brace for its leverage domestically\u2014the suppression of our right to peacefully assemble in protest, as critics of public policy and decision making by our elected leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even as some expatriates celebrate, we hold in compassion and concern the victims of this assault on Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty. We reaffirm their dignity. We reiterate our belief in self-determination and self-governance in this, our 250th year as a republic. Our version of democracy and evolution toward a more perfect union requires us once again to ask Unitarian Universalists to show <\/span>Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism: Reaffirming Our Covenant for Democracy and Freedom (2025)<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The President\u2019s unilateral unauthorized military strikes in Venezuela, including the abduction of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were a clear act of war, even if cloaked in the mantle of police action. In our view,\u00a0 this military strike flouted the Constitution\u2019s delegation of war-making authority to Congress. Without their explicit prior consent, these actions in Venezuela demonstrate a willingness to operate in procedurally and morally questionable ways. Unlawful ways. A disposition showcased throughout the administration\u2019s first year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congress did not declare war. <\/span>Americans do not want war<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>The people of Venezuela do not want war<\/span><\/a>. Neither do their neighbors in the Caribbean and Latin America. <\/span>Few, if any, globally, welcome a United States on a war footing. The implications are far-reaching and terrible. Narco-terrorism as the basis of police action, or war activity, is a thin red herring that links the Trump administration to the Nixon administration and <\/span>distracts from domestic political and policy goals<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This irresponsible attack and ongoing effort to install political surrogates and fossil fuel corporate supporters are part of a long-standing and deplorable pattern of U.S. neo-colonialism. Where our military might is used to enforce corporate agendas, particularly for fossil fuels, critical resources, and agribusiness, it represents the furtherance of an extractivist agenda with significant repercussions for the nations of the Americas and others in the global south.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let us be clear, citing claims of drug running and authoritarianism, the Trump administration took actions of war toward Venezuela following an established strategy: <\/span>undermining oppositional governments<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>heightening tensions<\/span><\/a>, sensitizing the American public to <\/span>extraordinary action<\/span><\/a>, instigating instability abroad, positioning extractive corporate actors for profit, dismissing the hypocrisy of undemocratic process, and daring the international community of nations to object.<\/span><\/p>\n

These actions in Venezuela weren\u2019t about human rights or democracy, nor about the production or distribution of drugs.\u00a0 Instead, they were about the opportunity for profit among powerful multinational fossil fuel corporations and other corporate actors. It is about divvying up one of the <\/span>globe\u2019s richest oil territories<\/span><\/a>. It is about the chance for enrichment among oligarchic and plutocratic actors in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our faith teaches us to cherish the democratic process and justice, along with the sacredness of life and a love for flourishing. We therefore call on Congress and international actors to oppose U.S. regime change in Venezuela. We urge Congress to exercise its constitutional war powers and halt further military action or violation of Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty. We ask members of Congress to reject profiteering on behalf of corporate actors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

###<\/span><\/p>\n

Established in 1999, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice is a network of Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations that lifts up the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope to advance equitable national policies and actions aligned with UU values through witness, education, and advocacy. We envision a just, compassionate, and sustainable world community. Follow us on X<\/span><\/i>@UUSJ<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 04, 2026 Contact: Pablo DeJes\u00fas | info@uusj.org Share: https:\/\/bit.ly\/VenezuelaStrikes   UUSJ Condemns Assault on Venezuela\u2019s Sovereignty War, fueled by avarice, is immoral and unlawful without Congressional authorization   Washington, DC –\u00a0 On Saturday, January 3, 2026, President Trump announced military action against Venezuela and subsequently the intent to run the country.\u00a0\u00a0 … Continue reading Statement on U.S. Military Strikes in Venezuela January 2026<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1934,29,16,31,13,1938,17,1970],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anti-racism-multiculturalism","category-democracy","category-economic-justice","category-environment","category-human-rights","category-politics","category-racism","category-unitarian-universalism","category-uusj-press-releases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27031"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27038,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27031\/revisions\/27038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uusj.net\/wp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}