About 60 miles north of Manhattan and an hour from Sullivan County, Stewart International Airport is a relatively small airport with two main runways and a National Guard base in Newburgh.
But on Saturday late afternoon, the airport’s military base became the arrival point for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, after they were captured and flown out of Venezuela.
The two were captured during a series of large-scale explosive U.S. air strikes in Venezuela ordered by President Trump without congressional approval.
Protestors gathered outside Stewart Air National Guard Base off of Route 17K in Newburgh for hours on Saturday, pushing back on Trump’s attacks on Venezuela.
“This is an attempt of American oligarchs trying to take over a country for its resources [and] its oil without any regard for its civilians or people who are living here in the U.S. and struggling,” said Leanna Zilles, co-chair of the Mid-Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America chapter and one of the protest organizers.
The protest drew both honks of support and taunts from people driving by, Zilles says. She said local protests can help pressure members of Congress to focus the country’s resources on domestic issues.
“We are making ourselves visible in every way that we can and making it clear that we don’t want a war in Venezuela,” said Zilles. “ That hurts working people in the U.S. It hurts working people in Venezuela, and it is the last thing that any of our countries need.”
Local lawmakers share mixed reactions
President Trump said in a press conference on Saturday that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until “a proper transition can take place.” Upstate New York and Pennsylvania Congress members quickly weighed in and were divided on the strikes.
New York’s 17th Congressional District Rep. Mike Lawler posted:
“Early this morning, our brave American soldiers, sailors, and airmen executed one of the most stunning military operations of this century. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is an important step toward ending the deadly flow of drugs into the United States and ensuring peace and prosperity for all Venezuelans.
It is also a stark reminder to terrorists, dictators, and drug lords across the world that there is no safe harbor. This is what the doctrine of peace through strength looks like, and I am thankful for President Trump’s decisive move to strike at the heart of the narco-terror state and illegal drug trade that have been ravaging our hemisphere for decades. With the arrest and prosecution of Nicolás Maduro, a new dawn is upon us.”
New York’s 19th Congressional District Rep. Josh Riley posted:
“Putting Upstate First means no more foreign regime-change wars. We are done paying the price in American tax dollars and American lives.
I voted to restore Congress’s constitutional authority over war because we can and must keep our communities safe from drug trafficking without taking over foreign countries and putting more American lives at risk.”
Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District Rep. Rob Bresnahan posted:
“Nicolás Maduro is a thug who stole an election and ran a narcoterrorist regime disguised as a government that spread violence, drugs, and chaos that cost thousands of American lives. The world is safer today because the United States acted decisively and stood up to evil.
Our troops are the best in the world, and I am grateful to those who carried out this mission with unmatched skill and bravery.”
New York’s 18th Congressional District Rep. Pat Ryan posted:
“Trump illegally started a war so his billionaire cronies could access Venezuela’s oil. Now he’s sending even more of our taxpayer dollars + men and women in uniform to “run the country”?!?
I ran for Congress to make sure we learned the lessons of Iraq. Trump is repeating them.”
Maduro is expected to appear in federal court in New York City on Monday and faces federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and weapons charges.
Image: An airplane carrying captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lands at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)