On Nov. 24, 2025, the Trump administration formally designated Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a member of a foreign terrorist organization under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B, making it a federal crime for Americans to provide material support to him. The designation allows the Treasury Department to freeze any U.S. assets belonging to Maduro and prohibits American citizens or companies from conducting financial transactions with him. This marks the first time the U.S. has designated a sitting head of state as a member of a terrorist organization rather than using traditional diplomatic sanctions.

Secretary of State MRMarco Rubio announced the designation at a Nov. 24 press conference, citing Maduro's regime's involvement in drug trafficking, harboring members of Colombian militant groups including FARC and ELN, and systematic human rights abuses. Rubio said Maduro has turned Venezuela into a narco-state and terrorist safe haven, claiming the designation is necessary to protect American national security interests. Rubio served as a 🌴Florida senator before Trump appointed him Secretary of State in January 2025.

The designation builds on existing sanctions against Venezuela but uses a different legal mechanism. Previous sanctions under Executive Order 13692 targeted Venezuelan officials and entities for corruption and human rights violations but didn't designate individuals as terrorists. The terrorist designation carries harsher penalties including potential 20-year prison sentences for Americans who knowingly provide material support and broader authority for intelligence agencies to surveil Maduro's financial networks.

Legal experts questioned the designation, arguing it conflates criminal behavior with terrorism and blurs lines between diplomatic sanctions and counterterrorism law. The State Department's Foreign Terrorist Organizations list typically includes non-state actors like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Hezbollah—not sitting heads of state. Designating Maduro creates precedent for labeling any hostile foreign leader a terrorist, potentially undermining international norms and making diplomatic resolution harder.

The designation occurred amid broader U.S.-Venezuela tensions. Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013 and won a disputed 2024 presidential election that international observers called fraudulent. The U.S. doesn't recognize Maduro's government and instead recognizes opposition leader María Corina Machado as Venezuela's legitimate president. Over 7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015 due to economic collapse, political repression, and violence.

The announcement came the same day Trump announced new tariffs on Venezuelan oil imports, further isolating Maduro's regime economically. Venezuela's oil production has declined from 3 million barrels per day in 1998 to roughly 700,000 barrels per day in 2025 due to mismanagement, corruption, and sanctions. The combined designations and tariffs aim to force Maduro from power by cutting off his regime's remaining revenue sources.

Venezuela's government responded on Nov. 24, with Foreign Minister Yván Gil calling the designation an act of aggression that violates international law and the UN Charter. Gil said the U.S. is attempting to justify military intervention by labeling Maduro a terrorist. Russia and China, which maintain ties with Venezuela, condemned the designation as interfering in Venezuelan sovereignty. Cuba and Nicaragua, Venezuela's closest Latin American allies, also criticized the move.

The designation complicates efforts by the Organization of American States and other regional bodies to mediate Venezuela's political crisis. Humanitarian organizations worry the designation will make it harder to provide aid to Venezuela since banks and NGOs may refuse to process transactions that could be construed as providing material support to the Maduro government. Over 8 million Venezuelans need humanitarian assistance including food, medicine, and shelter.