In the spring, President Donald Trump engaged in discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about increasing U.S. pressure on Venezuela. This conversation occurred shortly before Memorial Day, as anti-leftist Cuban American lawmakers were advocating for stricter measures against Venezuela, including halting Chevron's oil operations in the country. However, Trump was hesitant to eliminate the U.S. presence in Venezuela's oil sector, where China has significant investments.

Trump expressed a desire to demonstrate a strong stance against Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, whom he had previously attempted to remove from power. During this meeting, Stephen Miller, an aide and homeland security adviser, proposed military actions against drug trafficking, which had evolved from earlier discussions about bombing fentanyl labs. Although Venezuela does not produce fentanyl, Miller's focus shifted to potential military strikes against boats suspected of drug trafficking in Central America.

This convergence of policy objectives—targeting Maduro, employing military force against drug cartels, and securing U.S. access to Venezuela's oil reserves—culminated in a secret directive signed by Trump two months later. This directive authorized the Pentagon to conduct military operations against Latin American drug cartels, with a specific emphasis on maritime strikes near Venezuela's coast, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.