Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego slammed the U.S. operation to capture Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
In a social media publication, Gallego said the development is a "second unjustified war" in his lifetime.
"This war is illegal, it's embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year. There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela," Gallego said.
Second unjustified war in my life time.
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) January 3, 2026
This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year.
There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.
Several foreign countries have also condemned the development. The Mexican government made an "urgent call to respect international law, as well as principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and to cease any act of aggression against the Venezuelan government and people."
The document goes on to say that "Latin America and the Caribbean is a zone of peace, built on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful controversies resolution and the proscription of the threat and use of force, so any military action puts regional stability at great risk."
"Mexico emphatically reiterates that dialogue and negotiation are the only legitimate and efficient ways to solve existing differences, and reaffirms its willingness to support any effort to facilitate dialogue, mediation that can contribute to preserving regional peace and avoid a confrontation."
The attack has been also condemned by Russia and Iran, two allies of Maduro. Moscow called the development an "act of armed aggression against Venezuela."
"This is deeply concerning and condemnable," Moscow added in a statement on Saturday. "The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded."
Russia also called for the prevention of "further escalation" and backed calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Iran also condemned the development, saying it was a "flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of" the South American country.
President Donald Trump has said Maduro and Flores were "flown out of the country" on Saturday following a "large scale strike" in Venezuela.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post of her own that Maduro and Flores would "soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts."
"I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers," she added.
Republican Senator Mike Lee said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him he anticipates no further action in the country now that Maduro is in custody.
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