John,

Let’s be perfectly clear about this: Trump’s invasion of Venezuela is illegal.

This president, who prides himself on not being bound by laws, domestic or international, made no effort to notify, much less seek the authorization of Congress or the American people before ordering this brazen attack on a sovereign nation that posed no threat to the U.S.

Trump couched his decision as motivated by a thin argument about Fentanyl being a “weapon of mass destruction,” and a much more robust argument that the invasion will enable American companies to seize the largest proven oil reserves of any nation on the planet -- more than Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, or Canada -- on terms that only a mob boss could arrange.

This operation, including U.S. military strikes on Caracas and other Venezuelan targets, resulted in the killing of at least 40 people in just this initial incursion, with some larger estimates of 80 or more, and the capture and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores to New York to face criminal charges.

This was not a defensive act. There was no imminent threat to the United States justifying such force, and Congress was not consulted or given a chance to debate or vote on the use of military power. Legal scholars, members of Congress, and international bodies have condemned the operation as a clear violation of both the U.S. Constitution and international law.

There is no evidence that this action makes America safer in any way, as the aftermath of violent action is unpredictable, and often deeply entrenched and volatile. Instead, all indications point to the beneficiaries being America’s oil oligarchs and Trump’s own financial and political interests.

Send a direct message to your Senators and Representative: Stop Trump’s illegal war now.

Only Congress has the authority to authorize war, and military action of this scope cannot be justified under self-defense or existing statutes. Even worse is the administration’s explicit focus on Venezuela’s oil. President Trump publicly stated that the United States would “run the country,” with no pretense of advancing democratic norms or protecting human rights.

Stopping Trump’s illegal war is going to take coordinated efforts from many directions: Congress, world leaders, American corporations, and we the people all must act. At minimum, Senators and Representatives must take these four critical steps without delay:

• Condemn the attacks as unconstitutional and unlawful.
  

• Demand the immediate return of Venezuela’s President and First Lady to their country.
  

• Block federal funds for any military operations other than the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Venezuelan territory and airspace.
  

• Prevent the exploitation of Venezuela’s oil and minerals by American companies by making it illegal to make profits from or assist in the military operations.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have already hinted at the potential for expanded military action in Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba, and presidential advisor Stephen Miller flat out said "Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland." But attacking Greenland could trigger our own NATO alliance itself to act, under Article 5: “An attack on one is an attack on all.”

If we don’t speak out now, loudly and strongly and every day, Trump will come closer every day to his vision of ruling an American empire consisting of the entire Western hemisphere, with every nation paying him tribute while enriching himself and his oligarchs. There is truly no limit to Trump’s grandeur in his own mind.

Tell your Senators and Representative: Stop Trump’s illegal war now.

– DFA AF Team