WILLEMSTAD – The United States is reportedly positioning the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to play a permanent, central role in its post-Maduro engagement with Venezuela, according to multiple international media reports. The move comes after U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in early January as part of an unprecedented intervention.
According to a CNN report cited by Reuters, the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump is planning to establish a sustained CIA presence in Venezuela following the ouster of Maduro. While the U.S. State Department is expected to handle formal diplomatic relations, Washington is likely to rely heavily on its foreign intelligence service during the fragile political transition.
The CIA’s involvement in Venezuela dates back to preparations for the January operation. A team from the agency reportedly entered the country months before the raid to track Maduro’s movements and cultivate contacts that helped facilitate his capture. This covert groundwork paralleled a broader U.S. military buildup and intelligence activity in the southern Caribbean region during the second half of 2025.
In the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s removal, the first senior U.S. official to visit Caracas was CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who met with acting president Delcy Rodríguez and other Venezuelan officials. The visit signaled that intelligence cooperation may be a cornerstone of future engagement between Washington and the interim government.
This focus on intelligence reflects deeper strategic calculations in Washington. According to classified assessments reported by international news outlets, the CIA advised Trump that senior members of Maduro’s regime, including Vice President Rodríguez, were best positioned to maintain stability if Maduro were removed, contributing to the decision to support her leadership over that of opposition figures like María Corina Machado.
While details remain limited, officials and analysts suggest that the CIA will not simply gather information but could help coordinate political engagement across Venezuelan factions. Planned cooperation is expected to include both elements of the former regime and selected opposition forces. This approach could help the U.S. navigate an inherently unstable transition and shape outcomes that align with American strategic interests.
The reported shift underscores how deeply U.S. intelligence operations are now embedded in Venezuelan affairs. It follows decades during which U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, have conducted operations across Latin America with the aim of influencing political outcomes. The degree to which this pattern will continue—and how it will be received in Venezuela and beyond—remains a topic of intense international scrutiny and debate.
Critics argue that an expanded CIA role could further complicate international relations and risk perceptions of foreign interference in Venezuela’s sovereignty. Supporters contend that robust intelligence engagement is necessary to manage instability and counter criminal networks that have flourished amid years of governance crisis.
With the situation in Venezuela still highly fluid, the evolving role of the CIA will be closely watched by regional governments and analysts concerned with both the legality and long-term consequences of U.S. involvement.