Injured U.S. service members from the military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were flown to San Antonio for medical treatment this weekend.
The development highlights the risks faced by American forces during foreign interventions and the evolving U.S. role in Venezuelan instability.
A medical evacuation flight carrying U.S. service members wounded during the weekend operation to seize Maduro landed in San Antonio, city officials and flight records show.
The C-17 transport aircraft arrived after departing from Puerto Rico, according to flight-tracking data reviewed by local media.
The troops were transported directly to Brooke Army Medical Center, a Level I trauma facility, for evaluation and care.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said the injured troops were brought to the hospital over the weekend. She offered support for the service members and staff attending them.
Officials have not confirmed the exact number of wounded troops or the severity of injuries. Local reporting said the service members sustained mostly minor wounds during intense ground fire as U.S. forces entered Caracas.
President Donald Trump said the troops are in "good shape" and that there were no American deaths in the mission.
The president called the operation "very dangerous" and said it required careful coordination between air and ground elements.
The U.S. military action in Venezuela was designed to capture Maduro and extradite him to the United States to face federal charges.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into U.S. custody and brought to New York to face drug trafficking and related counts, according to multiple news reports.
The raid, conducted early Saturday in Caracas, involved extensive air and ground operations that drew heavy fire from Venezuelan forces. Cuban military personnel embedded with Maduro's security detail were among those reported killed in the assault.
The arrival of wounded troops on U.S. soil comes as Republican lawmakers and administration officials defend the legality and limited scope of the mission, saying it was a targeted strike to detain a drug-trafficking criminal and does not represent an open conflict with Venezuela.
Critics have raised questions about the operation's authority and potential long-term implications for U.S. foreign policy, pointing to the need for greater transparency from the White House and Pentagon.
Democrats have pressed for greater justification and congressional oversight of the operation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Congress "must be fully briefed on the legal basis and objectives of this action."
In contrast, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the mission did not constitute a declaration of war and argued that "limited operations to detain a criminal actor do not require congressional authorization."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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