President Donald Trump said in a State Department statement that the United States has removed Venezuela from its list of failed countries, a list that tracks states that have not demonstrably combated illicit drug trafficking, a move he announced on Wednesday that marks the first such removal in more than two decades.
The decision follows Venezuela’s ouster of President Nicolas Maduro in January and the arrest of his former deputy Delcy Rodriguez, whose interim government has cooperated with Washington on dismantling narcoterrorist groups; the killing of Tren de Aragua leader "Niño Guerrero" is cited as evidence of the crackdown’s effectiveness.
Colombia, added to the list last year after Trump criticized President Gustavo Petro, recently elected Abelardo De La Espriella, a former lawyer linked to right‑wing paramilitaries who pledged a hard‑line campaign against cocaine production. Trump said the U.S. will watch Colombia’s results over the next year, noting that aggressive coca eradication and the dismantling of narcoterrorist networks could qualify it for removal.
If Colombia meets these targets, the country could be lifted from the 'failed demonstrably' list by December 2026; meanwhile, other transit hubs such as Afghanistan, Mexico and Peru remain on the list, underscoring the breadth of the U.S. anti‑drug strategy.