Venezuela slams Trump’s order to ‘close’ its airspace as ‘colonialist threat’

Venezuela also said the U.S. had “unilaterally suspended” biweekly deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants, flights that had returned more than 13,000 people this year following negotiations between the two governments.

Venezuela, on Saturday, strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that the airspace above and surrounding the country should be considered “closed in its entirety,” calling the remark a “colonialist threat” that violates international law and national sovereignty.

Trump, taking to Truth Social, issued the statement in a post addressed broadly to “Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers.” He did not, however, specify whether or not the warning reflected a shift in U.S. policy or was linked to ongoing American operations targeting drug-trafficking networks in the region.

In a sharply worded statement, Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said it “forcefully rejects” the assertion, describing it as a “hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act” aimed at undermining the country’s territorial integrity, aeronautical security and full sovereignty. The ministry also said the U.S. had “unilaterally suspended” biweekly deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants, flights that had returned more than 13,000 people this year following negotiations between the two governments.

Trump’s declaration comes amid an expanded U.S. military posture around Venezuela. Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out more than 20 strikes on small vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, accused of transporting drugs, with more than 80 people reported killed. The Pentagon has also deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford and other naval assets under “Operation Southern Spear,” creating what officials describe as one of the largest American force concentrations in the region in decades.

The military campaign is now under scrutiny after reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered that all crew members aboard a suspected drug-smuggling boat be killed during a Sept. 2 operation. Leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed, said the panel would conduct “vigorous oversight” into the circumstances surrounding the strike.

A recent Federal Aviation Administration advisory warning of “a potentially hazardous situation” due to heightened military activity prompted several international airlines to suspend flights over or into Venezuela. In response, Caracas revoked operating rights for six carriers that halted service. The FAA does not have jurisdiction over Venezuelan airspace, but routinely issues warnings to pilots about conflict zones or areas with elevated security risks.

The U.S. does not recognise Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president and has accused him of involvement in narcotrafficking, allegations Maduro rejects. He has accused Trump of attempting to overthrow him and said the country’s civilian population and armed forces would resist any foreign effort to remove him.

While Trump has repeatedly advocated for maximum pressure on Maduro, including military, naval and covert options, he has also publicly floated the possibility of direct talks.