CINCINNATI — The news over the United States military operation in Venezuela, leading arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, is getting mixed reactions throughout the country.
Many Venezuelan immigrants took to the streets today, celebrating the U.S. operation. In South Florida, crowds sang and hugged, yelling chants of freedom.
Following President Donald Trump's announcement of the military operation Saturday morning, Ohio Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted took to social media voicing their support over the operation.
Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. He has been indicted on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and will face trial for these crimes in a U.S. court of law.Under Hugo Chávez—and now under Maduro—Venezuela has effectively become a criminal enterprise. The…
— Senator Jon Husted (@SenJonHusted) January 3, 2026
Moreno applauded President Trump in his post on 'X', saying in part, "by acting in America's self-defense and self-interest to end the narco terror organization run by Nicolas Maduro, he eliminated an obvious, clear and present danger to our nation."
However others are condemning what happened. Protests took place in several cities throughout the country, including in Cincinnati.
WATCH: Dozens gather at Cincinnati City Hall to protest the U.S. military operation in Venezuela:
Dozens of people demonstrated outside of Cincinnati City Hall, voicing their displeasure over the military operation.
We spoke to Pepper Magisa with the party for Socialism and Liberation, who attended the protest.
"If another country wants to change the way their government runs, it has nothing to do with the United States," Magisa said.
Some politicians are also questioning the operation.
That includes Congressman Greg Landsman (D), who we spoke to Saturday evening.
"The United States should be only running one country: The United States of America," Landsman said.
President Trump said in a press conference on Saturday that the U.S. will temporarily run Venezuela until a transition of power is made. He also said the U.S. will be tapping into Venezuela's oil reserves.
Landsman said he's worried about what it will mean for the U.S. to temporarily run another country.
"It never works," Landsman said. "It often costs us a ton of money, oftentimes American lives."
President Trump said the operation will help save American lives by reducing the amount of drugs flowing into the U.S. from Venezuela.
However, Landsman said he doesn't think that's the case.
"Unfortunately, the vast majority of drugs come from China, Southeast Asia, Colombia, Mexico and he's diverting resources away from those efforts," Landsman said.
Landsman said he's also concerned about the legality of the operation.
Vice President JD Vance did address those concerns on social media Saturday, saying "Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."
And PSA for everyone saying this was "illegal":Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
Landsman said he feels Congress should've been involved in the decision.
That is something President Trump addressed in his Saturday press conference, saying he didn't want any information about the operation "leaking" ahead of it being carried out.
“Congress will leak, and we don’t want leakers," Trump said.
Landsman said he's concerned about what impact this operation may have domestically in the coming months.
"This is going to be an incredible expense to American taxpayers, and it's clear now the goal is oil," Landsman said.
