The U.S. military seized another Venezuelan-linked oil tanker in the Caribbean early Thursday morning, as federal authorities intensified enforcement against sanctioned vessels tied to the Maduro regime. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn raid of the motor tanker Veronica, the sixth sanctioned vessel seized by the Coast Guard in recent weeks. The operation went smoothly, and the ship was seized without incident, Noem said. 

“As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” Noem posted on X, sharing footage of the operation. 

Early this morning, a Coast Guard tactical team conducted a pre-dawn boarding and seizure of Motor Tanker Veronica in the Caribbean. As another sanctioned ghost fleet tanker, Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of… pic.twitter.com/MyWyQGH1h0

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 15, 2026

“As we’ve now demonstrated through multiple boardings, there is no outrunning or escaping American justice — period. Our resolve is unshakeable and our mission coordination has never been better. America’s Coast Guard remains Always Ready to apply the full force of its unique authorities and specialized capabilities against this threat anywhere, anytime,” she added. 

U.S. Southern Command said that Marines and sailors assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Spear took part in the seizure after launching from the USS Gerald R. Ford. The task force is focused on disrupting drug trafficking and other illegal activities in the Western Hemisphere. 

“The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” Southern Command said. “The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully.”

Trump has promised that American companies will invest billions to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields. 

Last week, the Coast Guard seized a tanker flying a Russian flag that had previously bypassed an American blockade. The ship, the Marinera, had been on the run for two weeks and was set to be escorted by a Russian submarine and warships. 

The operation came a few hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. The meeting is expected to focus on Venezuela’s future following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. Trump has said he doesn’t expect Machado to have enough support to become Venezuela’s next leader.

President Donald Trump praised a “highly respected Minnesota judge” on Thursday after she declined to issue a restraining order against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Democrat-run state.

On Wednesday, Kate Menendez, a Biden-appointed U.S. District Court judge, rejected Minnesota’s request to temporarily block ICE from continuing immigration enforcement operations in the state as Minnesota’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement moves forward.

“A highly respected judge declined to block I.C.E. operations in the very politically corrupt State of Minnesota. I.C.E. will therefore be allowed to continue its highly successful operation of removing some of the most violent and vicious criminals anywhere in the World, many of them murderers, from the State,” Trump said. “The great patriots of Law Enforcement will continue to make our Country safe. RECORD LOW CRIME NUMBERS!!!”

Menendez said her decision did not indicate how she would ultimately rule on Minnesota’s lawsuit against the federal government, CBS News reported.

“I think the issues are really important and I don’t want to suggest by not acting immediately one way or the other that I think they are unimportant,” Menendez said. “To the contrary, I understand this is important to everybody.”

Minnesota argued that a two-week restraining order was needed to give the state time to prepare for the case, arguing that the 3,000 federal agents in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas are violating citizens’ rights.

The federal government must respond to Minnesota’s lawsuit by January 19, and Judge Menendez denied a federal prosecutor’s request to postpone the date due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Menendez said the case was too urgent to delay.

Leftist Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Monday that the state filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to stop its surge of federal agents into the state. Ellison described Trump’s immigration operation in Minnesota as an “invasion.” The lawsuit was filed just days after Minneapolis resident Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent after she drove her vehicle toward him during a confrontation. The shooting death has sparked massive protests, which have continued for more than a week, and the Trump administration has deployed more federal agents to the city.

Another ICE shooting on Wednesday night sparked more outrage in Minneapolis. A federal agent was ambushed and attacked by three people while attempting to detain a suspected Venezuelan illegal immigrant in the city’s Northside, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump also threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act on Thursday as demonstrations continued.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for you [sic] attention to this matter!”

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