President Trump and the United States are facing sharp criticism for occupying and inspecting a Venezuelan fishing boat last Friday, September 12. American officials stated that the Coast Guard had received a tip alleging the ship was carrying illegal drugs, prompting the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham to search the vessel while inside the Venezuelan Exclusive Economic Zone. However, the Jason Dunham failed to uncover any drugs on board, and the incident has further heightened tensions amidst the ongoing feud between Washington and Caracas.

The Venezuelan foreign ministry released a statement claiming that the operation lasted eight hours after eighteen heavily armed agents boarded the ship, calling the incident “a direct provocation through the illegal use of excessive military means.” An American official disputed the reported length of the search and insisted that the vessel was in international waters.

The Jason Dunham’s operation adds to a string of recent clashes between the United States and Venezuela over suspected drug trafficking in the Caribbean. Earlier in September, President Trump announced he would expand the American military presence in the region to curb illegal smuggling, and Washington subsequently conducted strikes on at least two boats—on September 2 and again on September 15—killing at least fourteen people Trump labeled “narcoterrorists” linked to the Tren de Aragua gang. Yet, there is still insufficient evidence to prove that the boats were transporting drugs.

Seemingly in response to the increased American naval activity, Venezuela mobilized more than four million militiamen in late August and flew two F-16 fighter jets over the Jason Dunham after the initial strikes. Since then, the standoff has escalated steadily. On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the United States of attempting to provoke a “major war” and described U.S.-Venezuela relations as “completely broken” during a press conference in Caracas. Maduro, whom Washington does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate president, also asserted that whoever ordered the fishing boat’s boarding was actively seeking regime change.

The Trump administration has denied pursuing regime change, reiterating earlier this month that its actions were motivated by drug trafficking concerns. However, Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution observed that Trump’s decision to target Venezuelan vessels is unlikely to focus entirely on narcotics. In an interview with NPR, Felbab-Brown noted that attacking Venezuelan traffickers does little to stem the flow of fentanyl—the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States—since Venezuelan smugglers mainly carry cocaine. Furthermore, the U.S. Navy has not targeted Colombian boats, even though Colombia is the world’s top producer of cocaine. According to Felbab-Brown, these inconsistencies suggest the U.S. is deliberately applying pressure on the Maduro regime.

While it is possible the Trump administration genuinely intends to safeguard American citizens from the illegal drug trade, its methods have become deeply contentious. Lawyers, professors, and Venezuelan officials have argued that the strikes violate international law, and critics have questioned whether President Trump exceeded his authority by ordering such actions without Congressional approval. Either way, the expanded U.S. naval presence directed at Venezuela appears reckless at best and deliberately hostile at worst.

As a result, the United States must find ways to protect its citizens without infringing on Venezuela’s sovereignty—possibly by strengthening military patrols along its own maritime borders rather than Venezuela’s, or even by cooperating with the Maduro regime to track and apprehend actual traffickers. Only through such recalibration can Washington balance citizen security with respect for international law and regional stability.