State and area representatives are responding to the capture of the Venezuelan president and the U.S. takeover of the South American country.

On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the Trump administration needs to “justify these actions to my fellow members on the Senate Armed Services Committee and explain to the American people how this was a justified act of war against a foreign country.

“After repeatedly telling me and my colleagues that it was not seeking to do so, the administration must also explain why they would carry out this military operation to perform regime change without authorization by Congress and how the United States is going to “run” Venezuela indefinitely without putting our service members in harm’s way.

“Beyond this flagrant breach of trust, I remain concerned that the administration’s actions are not the end of something, but the beginning of chaos and instability in the region that threatens our service members, our allies, and American security.”

U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy of District 23, however, applauded the actions taken by the president.

“The capture of Nicolas Maduro marks an important step toward dismantling the narco-terror networks that have fueled violence, corruption, and the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. …

“This outcome is the result of decisive action by President Trump, who has made clear that the United States will confront criminal regimes that threaten our security and destabilize our region. This is what peace through strength looks like — clear resolve backed by action.

“The message to dictators, terrorists, and transnational criminal organizations is unmistakable: there is no safe harbor for those who seek to harm the United States or the American people. Nicolás Maduro was never a legitimate leader — he was the head of a criminal cartel masquerading as a government. History shows that when narco-states threaten regional stability and American security, the United States has acted before. President George H. W. Bush’s decision to remove Manuel Noriega established that criminal regimes will not be tolerated. Today’s action follows that same principle — accountability, the rule of law, and the defense of peace through strength.”