Trump declara cerrado el espacio aéreo de Venezuela

✈️ Trump Declares Venezuela Airspace "Closed in its Entirety" Amid Soaring Tensions; Caracas Denounces "Colonialist Threat"

 

Washington/Caracas, November 30, 2025 — The already fraught relationship between the United States and Venezuela saw a significant escalation this weekend after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated that the airspace "above and surrounding" Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety."

The declaration, posted by President Trump on his Truth Social platform, was explicitly addressed to "all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers." It follows weeks of heightened U.S. military presence and anti-drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean, including boat strikes that have resulted in dozens of deaths.

Trump’s Controversial Directive

The President's statement read:

"To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP"

The post did not provide details on the legal basis for the move or how the U.S. would enforce such a declaration over a sovereign nation's territory, which typically falls outside of U.S. jurisdiction. The announcement comes just after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had already issued an advisory warning airlines to exercise caution when flying over the country due to a "worsening security situation and heightened military activity." This prior FAA warning had already prompted several major international carriers to suspend flights to Venezuela.

Venezuela Rejects the Move as "Hostile Act"

The Venezuelan government, led by President Nicolás Maduro, immediately issued a strong condemnation, calling the announcement a "hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act" and a "colonialist threat" to its sovereignty.

In an official statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry declared that it "forcefully rejects" the claim about closing the airspace and demanded "unrestricted respect" for its national sovereignty under international law.

Furthermore, Caracas announced that U.S. immigration authorities had "unilaterally suspended" the regular biweekly deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants—a program that had repatriated over 13,000 Venezuelans this year following negotiations between the two governments.

Context of Escalation

The statement is the latest in a series of rapidly escalating actions by the Trump administration against the Maduro government:

• Terrorist Designation: Earlier in the week, President Trump designated President Maduro and his close associates as part of a foreign terrorist organization, citing the alleged "Cartel de los Soles" drug trafficking network. This designation expands the U.S. authority to impose new sanctions.

• Military Build-up: The U.S. has significantly increased its military presence in the region under "Operation Southern Spear," deploying more than a dozen warships, including the advanced USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, and approximately 15,000 troops.

• Threat of Land Strikes: President Trump had also indicated in a Thanksgiving call to service members that land-based operations against alleged drug trafficking networks inside Venezuela would begin "very soon."

While the U.S. government views the measures as necessary steps to disrupt drug trafficking and counter the Maduro regime, the Venezuelan military has been conducting exercises in response, raising fears of a potential armed conflict,