Hezbollah’s Expanding Footprint in Venezuela: A Republican Alert
Venezuela has quietly become the focal point for Hezbollah’s growth in the Western Hemisphere, and Republican lawmakers are sounding the alarm. What once was a regional concern in pockets like the tri-border area now looks like a state-backed operation with global reach. The Venezuelan regime’s actions demand a straightforward response from Washington.
A recent Senate Caucus on International Counternarcotics Control hearing brought the issue into sharp focus, with Republicans and some Democrats agreeing the threat has escalated. Senators argued Hezbollah’s criminal ties are more deeply rooted today than they have been in decades. Lawmakers on both sides called for coordinated action to stop a terror group from gaining sanctuary in America’s backyard.
Experts at the hearing painted a picture of a sprawling network mixing drug trafficking, money laundering and illicit document schemes under official cover. This illegal infrastructure has allowed Hezbollah to tap into smuggling routes and exploit corrupt systems for passports and cover identities. One witness termed Venezuela the “most important facilitator for Hezbollah in Latin America.”
Marshall Billingslea, a former senior Treasury official, delivered a blunt assessment of the danger up close: “Venezuela is a willing safe haven for what remains the most lethal, dangerous foreign terrorist organization to the United States,” he said. That is not rhetorical; it is a warning about how state resources can translate into direct vulnerabilities for the U.S. mainland. It also frames the issue as a national security priority rather than a distant foreign policy problem.
Lawmakers and witnesses pointed to concrete mechanisms that made the sanctuary possible, including the alleged issuance of Venezuelan passports to operatives linked to Hezbollah. Billingslea detailed how officials under a previous vice president funneled travel documents to thousands of individuals from Syria, Lebanon and Iran. He said many of those recipients had known ties to extremist groups.
Once in hand, those papers became entry points into legal economies and global financial systems, allowing operatives to disguise identities, launder funds and move with impunity. The ripple effects hit neighbors and the United States through smuggling corridors and weakened immigration controls. Officials warned that false documentation is now an active tool for terror networks.
Ambassador Nathan Sales urged Latin American partners to take stronger steps, calling for broader designations and coordinated enforcement. He testified that “Venezuela has become” a key enabler of Hezbollah’s malign activity in our region. His point was clear: allies need to cut off safe harbors and choke the conduits that let terror finance and logistics flow.
Senator John Cornyn underscored the hemispheric stakes, warning that the problem is no longer confined to the Middle East. “This is not just about the Middle East anymore,” Cornyn added. For Republicans, that means pushing for policy tools that protect Americans and penalize complicit regimes.
Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno took a harder line on regime change, predicting a U.S. effort to remove Nicolás Maduro and restore order in Venezuela. “I think we’re going to free Venezuela,” Moreno said. “That will be one of President Trump’s many, many legacies. It’s long past due, and I think his days are numbered.”
Moreno also signaled confidence that pressure could escalate quickly, saying he “would be surprised if [Maduro is] still in Venezuela by the end of this year,” and suggesting Washington may intensify actions against narco-traffickers and state actors. That rhetoric matches the urgency many Republicans feel about eliminating safe havens for terror groups. The message from the GOP side was clear: inaction is not an option.
Experts explained how Hezbollah’s involvement in the drug trade is funding operations and building ties to criminal networks across the region. “Hezbollah traffics narcotics through criminal networks active in the tri-border area. … It’s particularly involved in the sale of black cocaine,” Sales said. Those profits can replace revenue lost to sanctions and support terrorist logistics globally.
Matthew Levitt warned that Venezuela has joined a broader sanctions-evasion axis, calling this a nexus that includes several authoritarian states and illicit markets. He described the country’s role in moving gold, oil, and cash to benefit Iran and allied proxies. “Venezuela plays an important part in this illicit network as it reaches the Western Hemisphere,” Levitt said.
Republicans at the hearing argued for tougher coordination with regional partners, expanded designations, and tighter enforcement to sever Hezbollah’s supply lines. They emphasized the need to use every tool to block financing, stop passport fraud and disrupt smuggling networks. The core message was immediate and unapologetic: protect the homeland by confronting state-enabled terror where it grows.
