How Will Latin America Move Forward From the Maduro Raid?

The highlights this week: Latin American countries react to the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro , Guyanese authorities crack down on gold smuggling , and new Mexican tariffs go into effect.

Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Latin America Brief.

The highlights this week: Latin American countries react to the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Guyanese authorities crack down on gold smuggling, and new Mexican tariffs go into effect.

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Region Responds to U.S. Venezuela Strikes

The acronym TACO, which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” spread on U.S. social media last year as the White House backed down from some tariff threats against trading partners. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s brazen actions in the last week indicate that he may have left that moniker behind in 2025.

On Jan. 3, elite U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, bombing Caracas in a nighttime raid and killing an estimated 75 people. It was the first time that the United States had apprehended a sitting foreign leader since 1990. The couple were then flown to New York, where they are now standing trial on drug trafficking and other charges.

U.S. officials say they will use a blockade on Venezuelan oil to apply the pressure needed to direct policy in the country, especially in its oil sector, for an indefinite amount of time.

The events showcased a new U.S. comfort with using military force to achieve Trump’s objectives. They also made world leaders take even more seriously his threats to use military force against Colombia, Mexico, and Greenland.

True to current political div