A Cadem poll reveals that 51% of Chileans believe the main reason for the US intervention in Venezuela was to seize the country's oil and minerals, following Nicolás Maduro's capture on January 3. Additionally, 67% expect most Venezuelan migrants in Chile to return in the medium term, and 63% support the US military deployment.
The Plaza Pública poll by Cadem, for the second week of January 2026, reflects Chileans' perceptions of the recent US intervention in Venezuela, which ended with Nicolás Maduro's arrest on January 3 by US forces.
On Venezuelan migration, 67% of respondents believe most Venezuelans in Chile will leave over time, 23% think they will stay, and only 5% expect immediate departure. Regarding the military action, 63% agree with the US troop deployment, while 30% oppose it.
On US motivations, 51% attribute the intervention mainly to seizing Venezuelan oil and minerals. 19% see it as combating narcotraffic or capturing Maduro for his alleged role in the “Cártel de los Soles,” and just 14% believe it aims for a democratic transition.
Most blame Maduro for severe violations: 95% for imposing a dictatorship, 93% for human rights abuses, 80% for corruption tied to narcotraffic, and 74% for drug trafficking. Politically, 60% back José Antonio Kast's stance, calling the arrest “a great news for the region,” versus 32% supporting Gabriel Boric, who condemned the action and called for peaceful solutions.
For Venezuela's future, 53% favor elections, and 29% want decisions by the opposition led by Edmundo González and María Corina Machado. 65% see the US as currently governing Venezuela, but 54% reject formal US control. Finally, 45% believe Maduro's exit will benefit Chile, and 31% see no impact.
In Chile's political context, Communist Party president Lautaro Carmona reaffirmed the PC's opposition to the US intervention, stating “there is nothing that justifies the intervention of the United States” and referencing past interventions in Latin America.
