USC students and Los Angeles activists spoke out against the United States’ invasion of Venezuela earlier this month in interviews with the Daily Trojan over the last week. Concerns included the Trump administration’s focus on military intervention rather than funding social services domestically and representing the interests of U.S. citizens.

The attacks included multiple bombing runs that targeted military installations, airports and a port, and a subsequent Jan. 3 ground operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, according to the Associated Press. Maduro and his wife are awaiting trial on narcoterrorism charges in the U.S., according to NBC. 

In total, forty people were killed during the attack, an anonymous Venezuelan official told the New York Times. 32 Cuban officers were also killed, according to the Associated Press. 

Jeffery Jenkins, a provost professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy who is also a political historian, said in a Q&A posted on Price’s website that the Trump administration framed the strikes on Venezuela as a “police action,” in which they were serving an arrest warrant. 

“The Constitution stipulates that the president is Commander in Chief,” Jenkins said in the Q&A. “The way that has been interpreted has changed over time, with increasingly ambitious presidents pushing the envelope.” 

Kyle Hulburd, president of USC’s union of graduate student workers and a Ph.D. candidate in sociology, said graduate student workers across the University oppose war in every form, calling the invasion “disappointing.”

“We know that workers always end up paying the bill for the military interventions that the U.S. undertakes,” Hulburd said. “[We] don’t want to see the U.S. step into more endless wars and don’t want to see the U.S. continuing to spend money on military aggression when people are losing access to food stamps and healthcare and things like that back home.”

The union, United Auto Workers Local 872, posted a statement on its Instagram page Jan. 8 condemning the occupation and calling on members of Congress to oppose the attacks on Venezuela.

“A war on Venezuela only serves to benefit the billionaire class and expand the Trump administration’s xenophobic agenda,” the statement read. “Workers stand ready to participate in anti-war demonstrations to further call for peace and an end to American aggression in the region.”

Hulburd said public statements, such as Instagram posts, are made about causes important to UAW-872 members. He said the union felt the expense of the military action in Venezuela was relevant to workers amid ongoing cuts to social services and higher education funding in the U.S.

Kelly Parker, a sophomore majoring in business administration, has been avoiding the internet and news while swamped in job applications and was unaware of the invasion.

“That’s awful,” Parker said. “I’m speechless … I don’t know how someone could even have such a desire or willingness to do such a thing. I feel like it’s just inhumane.”

Destiny Rivera-Gomez, an organizer with the U.S. Hands Off Cuba Committee, said Cuba relies on Venezuelan oil, and therefore the occupation of Venezuela could have serious consequences for Cuba. 

 “They are going to try and invade Cuba if they succeed with Venezuela to remove the regime and possibly put in a U.S.-backed leader,” Rivera-Gomez said. 

Jenkins said Republicans are unlikely to benefit from the invasion of Venezuela in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections because foreign policy rarely sways public opinion. But, Democrats arguing that Trump is focusing on Venezuela rather than issues of inflation and affordability can be effective, he said.

A resolution requiring Trump to secure authorization from Congress before taking further military action in Venezuela had gained momentum earlier this week, with several House Republicans joining Democrats in support, according to NPR. After rebukes by Trump, however, the vote came to a tie in the Senate on Wednesday, which was ultimately broken in Trump’s favor by Vice President J.D. Vance.