HM 29

                                1  HOUSE MEMORIAL 29
                                2    57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 2026
                                3  INTRODUCED BY
                                4  Andrea Romero and Patricia Roybal Caballero
                                5    and Susan K. Herrera and Christine Chandler and Yanira Gurrola
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                                10  A MEMORIAL
                                11   CONDEMNING THE INVASION OF VENEZUELA BY THE UNITED STATES OF
                                12   AMERICA.
                                13
                                14        WHEREAS, on January 3, 2026, at the direction of the
                                15   administration of President Donald J. Trump and under the code
                                16   name "Operation Absolute Resolve", United States military
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                                17   forces invaded Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas
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                                18   Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores; and
                                19        WHEREAS, according to officials in Venezuela and Cuba,
                                20   more than eighty people were killed in the invasion, including
                                21   thirty-two members of the Cuban military and Cuban intelligence
                                22   agencies; and
                                23        WHEREAS, the Trump administration did not notify the
                                24   United States congress in advance of the invasion; and
                                25        WHEREAS, the Trump administration has no authority to take
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                                1    military action on its own behalf against a sovereign nation,
                                2    as the United States constitution deliberately assigns to
                                3    congress, not the president, the power to decide when the
                                4    United States will initiate hostilities against foreign
                                5    sovereigns; and
                                6  WHEREAS, the United States constitution assigns to
                                7    congress the power to declare war and the related authority to
                                8    issue letters of marque and reprisal to private entities, both
                                9    of which reflect a constitutional judgement that decisions
                                10   risking international conflict, retaliation and escalation
                                11   should not rest with a single actor; and
                                12  WHEREAS, when a United States president unilaterally
                                13   deploys military force abroad to seize a foreign head of state,
                                14   effectively collapsing war powers, foreign relations and
                                15   criminal law enforcement into a single executive action, the
                                16   constitutional safeguards designed to cabin the use of military
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                                17   force against other countries are bypassed entirely; and
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                                18  WHEREAS, this unilateral action is not cured by the
                                19   existence of a valid indictment, which may or may not explain
                                20   why a president wishes to act but cannot provide the
                                21   constitutional authority to do so through military force
                                22   without meaningful congressional engagement or authorization;
                                23   and
                                24  WHEREAS, the violation of Venezuelan air space by United
                                25   States military forces, the air strikes in Caracas, the seizure
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                                1    of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores and their forced removal to
                                2    the United States are egregious violations of the United
                                3    Nations charter, which makes clear that all members of the
                                4    United Nations are to refrain from the use of force against the
                                5    territorial integrity or political independence of any nation;
                                6    and
                                7  WHEREAS, the Trump administration claims to have seized
                                8    control of Venezuela and has announced its intent to "run" the
                                9    Venezuelan government, while not providing timelines, clear
                                10   objectives or a transition plan; and
                                11  WHEREAS, in the absence of a clear plan for transition to
                                12   a legitimate democratic government, the presence of United
                                13   States military forces in Venezuela constitutes an illegal
                                14   occupation of the country; and
                                15  WHEREAS, the Trump administration has announced its intent
                                16   to control Venezuela's vast oil reserves and its large deposits
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                                17   of gold and rare earth minerals; and
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                                18  WHEREAS, the seizure of Venezuelan oil for United States
                                19   corporate or national interests is a further violation of
                                20   international law; and
                                21  WHEREAS, the American people are entitled to a clear
                                22   accounting of all nongovernmental actors seeking interests in
                                23   Venezuela, and all corporate businesses or interests coming
                                24   into Venezuela during the United States occupation must be
                                25   identified and their business interests and activities
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                                1    disclosed, including disclosure of corporate management and
                                2    operations; due diligence policies for all corporate plans or
                                3    management systems; plans for the management of social and
                                4    environmental issues; risk assessment, including the
                                5    identification of potential and actual human rights violations
                                6    and environmental impacts; measures to prevent and mitigate
                                7    identified actual or potential harms; measures for remediation
                                8    of negative impacts; and procedures for tracking the
                                9    effectiveness of remedial measures and for monitoring and
                                10   reporting the effectiveness of those measures to shareholders
                                11   and stakeholders; and
                                12        WHEREAS, all private United States corporations doing
                                13   business in Venezuela must be called upon to divest their
                                14   Venezuelan interests and cease any activities that support the
                                15   illegal occupation of the country by the United States; and
                                16        WHEREAS, all private United States corporations doing
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                                17   business in both Venezuela and New Mexico must be held
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                                18   accountable for any and all violations of international law and
                                19   human rights;
                                20        NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
                                21   REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the Trump
                                22   administration's invasion of Venezuela, including the seizure
                                23   of Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores and the occupation of
                                24   Venezuela by United States military forces, be condemned as
                                25   unauthorized by the United State congress and a clear violation
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                                1    of international law; and
                                2  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Trump administration be
                                3    called upon to promptly initiate a transition plan for the
                                4    election of a legitimate democratic government in Venezuela;
                                5    and
                                6  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all United States corporations
                                7    doing business in both New Mexico and Venezuela be called upon
                                8    to divest all Venezuelan holdings and interests, cease all
                                9    activities in Venezuela during the occupation of Venezuela by
                                10   the United States and refrain from doing business in Venezuela
                                11   until a democratically elected government is in place; and
                                12  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
                                13   transmitted to the governor, the attorney general, the chair of
                                14   the legislative finance committee and the chair of the courts,
                                15   corrections and justice committee.
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