Venezuela Solidarity Network - Statement from the Coordinating Committee
Venezuela Needs Our Solidarity Now More Than Ever
As of March 2026, the Trump administration announced its recognition of the Venezuelan government led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the imminent re-opening of embassies and consulates in the two countries. The U.S. and Venezuela have also struck deals on the sale of oil and gold. Regardless, President Nicolás Maduro and “First Combatant” Cilia Flores are still held hostage in a New York prison.
These developments should not be de-contextualized from salient facts:
- The U.S. continues to wage a decades-long hybrid war against Venezuela.
- U.S. warships remain deployed in the Caribbean, near Venezuelan waters.
- The U.S. continues to launch deadly strikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
- On February 18, the Trump administration renewed an Executive Order characterizing Venezuela as an "unusual and extraordinary threat” to the U.S.
- The Caribbean remains heavily militarized, particularly Puerto Rico, which is closer to Caracas than it is to Miami.
- The U.S. “Shield of the Americas” security initiative points to a greater U.S. military presence throughout the hemisphere.
Washington’s unilateral coercive measures are overarching and continue unabated despite the U.S. “licensing” some domestic and foreign oil companies to do business with Caracas. These illegal sanctions, a form of collective punishment, were designed to break the people’s resistance but failed to do so, which has compelled the U.S. to escalate the pressure.
Given this context, our responsibility should not be to further U.S. propaganda over decisions made by Venezuela’s leaders, suggesting they have surrendered. These conjectures are dispiriting and demobilizing, serving the U.S. interest of crushing international solidarity for Venezuela.
Keeping in mind President Chávez’s directive of “unity, unity, unity,” the Venezuelan people have been in permanent mobilization, calling for an end to U.S. intervention and the return of their president and first lady. They have been adamant in supporting their government as the Bolivarian Revolution faces its most challenging moments. We have the responsibility to stand with the Venezuelan people against continued U.S. attacks.
Against this backdrop, we are suggesting that rather than venting your frustrations with the Bolivarian leadership, consider whether your public self-expression contributes to the struggle or simply reinforces the imperialist narrative.
So far Venezuela has escaped what Iran is experiencing now. But Washington has clearly signaled that a full scale invasion with massive loss of life is their Plan B. Given the vast asymmetry of power it is not unlikely that the Bolivarian Revolution may be coerced to make further concessions to survive.
We who live in the imperialist center must acknowledge we have failed to bring the U.S. dogs of war to heel. That failure is reflected in the concessions that Venezuelans, under enormous military thread, are being forced to make.. We must not only understand this, we must take this as a call to action for more solidarity with Venezuela.
It is our urgent task to reaffirm and strongly support Venezuela’s self-determination and sovereignty. We must work together to build a united front demanding U.S. Hands Off Venezuela. And we must raise our voices louder than ever before as we mobilize for:
- Removing U.S. troops out of Latin America and the Caribbean, so it can fulfill its aim as a Zone of Peace as declared by CELAC in 2014.
- An immediate end to the U.S. naval blockade of Venezuela and an end to all U.S.-led economic warfare and sanctions against Venezuela.
- The immediate release of First Combatant Cilia Flores and President Nicolás Maduro from U.S. jail and the dropping of all charges against them.
Within this framework, The Venezuela Solidarity Network calls on antiwar, Venezuela and Latin America solidarity groups, and all peace-loving organizations and people to join us as we echo the call of the people of Venezuela for International Days of Action:
- March 26, 2026, the day that President Maduro is scheduled to appear in U.S. court
- April 3, 2026 and every 3rd of the month, marking the anniversary of the brutal January 3 U.S. attack on Venezuela
Organize events, street actions, letter writing campaigns and more, demanding:
U.S. HANDS OFF VENEZUELA!
END THE SIEGE OF VENEZUELA NOW!
FREE PRESIDENT MADURO AND CILIA FLORES NOW!
For the VSN coordinating committee:William Camacaro, Leonardo Flores, Michelle Ellner, Alison Bodine, Victor Coronado, David Paul, Roger Harris
