CONDEMNING INVASION OF VENEZUELA

HM029

HOUSE MEMORIAL 29

57
th legislature
- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
second session
, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Andrea Romero and Patricia Roybal Caballero

and Susan K. Herrera and Christine Chandler and
Yanira Gurrola

A MEMORIAL

CONDEMNING THE INVASION OF VENEZUELA BY THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.

WHEREAS, on January 3, 2026, at the direction of the
administration of President Donald J. Trump and under the code
name "Operation Absolute Resolve", United States military
forces invaded Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas
Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores; and

WHEREAS, according to officials in Venezuela and Cuba,
more than eighty people were killed in the invasion, including
thirty-two members of the Cuban military and Cuban intelligence
agencies; and

WHEREAS, the Trump administration did not notify the
United States congress in advance of the invasion; and

WHEREAS, the Trump administration has no authority to take
military action on its own behalf against a sovereign nation,
as the United States constitution deliberately assigns to
congress, not the president, the power to decide when the
United States will initiate hostilities against foreign
sovereigns; and

WHEREAS, the United States constitution assigns to
congress the power to declare war and the related authority to
issue letters of marque and reprisal to private entities, both
of which reflect a constitutional judgement that decisions
risking international conflict, retaliation and escalation
should not rest with a single actor; and

WHEREAS, when a United States president unilaterally
deploys military force abroad to seize a foreign head of state,
effectively collapsing war powers, foreign relations and
criminal law enforcement into a single executive action, the
constitutional safeguards designed to cabin the use of military
force against other countries are bypassed entirely; and

WHEREAS, this unilateral action is not cured by the
existence of a valid indictment, which may or may not explain
why a president wishes to act but cannot provide the
constitutional authority to do so through military force
without meaningful congressional engagement or authorization;
and

WHEREAS, the violation of Venezuelan air space by United
States military forces, the air strikes in Caracas, the seizure
of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores and their forced removal to
the United States are egregious violations of the United
Nations charter, which makes clear that all members of the
United Nations are to refrain from the use of force against the
territorial integrity or political independence of any nation;
and

WHEREAS, the Trump administration claims to have seized
control of Venezuela and has announced its intent to "run" the
Venezuelan government, while not providing timelines, clear
objectives or a transition plan; and

WHEREAS, in the absence of a clear plan for transition to
a legitimate democratic government, the presence of United
States military forces in Venezuela constitutes an illegal
occupation of the country; and

WHEREAS, the Trump administration has announced its intent
to control Venezuela's vast oil reserves and its large deposits
of gold and rare earth minerals; and

WHEREAS, the seizure of Venezuelan oil for United States
corporate or national interests is a further violation of
international law; and

WHEREAS, the American people are entitled to a clear
accounting of all nongovernmental actors seeking interests in
Venezuela, and all corporate businesses or interests coming
into Venezuela during the United States occupation must be
identified and their business interests and activities
disclosed, including disclosure of corporate management and
operations; due diligence policies for all corporate plans or
management systems; plans for the management of social and
environmental issues; risk assessment, including the
identification of potential and actual human rights violations
and environmental impacts; measures to prevent and mitigate
identified actual or potential harms; measures for remediation
of negative impacts; and procedures for tracking the
effectiveness of remedial measures and for monitoring and
reporting the effectiveness of those measures to shareholders
and stakeholders; and

WHEREAS, all private United States corporations doing
business in Venezuela must be called upon to divest their
Venezuelan interests and cease any activities that support the
illegal occupation of the country by the United States; and

WHEREAS, all private United States corporations doing
business in both Venezuela and New Mexico must be held
accountable for any and all violations of international law and
human rights;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the Trump
administration's invasion of Venezuela, including the seizure
of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores and the occupation of
Venezuela by United States military forces, be condemned as
unauthorized by the United State congress and a clear violation
of international law; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trump administration be
called upon to promptly initiate a transition plan for the
election of a legitimate democratic government in Venezuela;
and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all United States corporations
doing business in both New Mexico and Venezuela be called upon
to divest all Venezuelan holdings and interests, cease all
activities in Venezuela during the occupation of Venezuela by
the United States and refrain from doing business in Venezuela
until a democratically elected government is in place; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the governor, the attorney general, the chair of
the legislative finance committee and the chair of the courts,
corrections and justice committee.

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