Americans unfamiliar with Venezuela may not know that in the not-so-distant past the nation was rich with oil and opportunity.

Congressional candidate Carmen Maria Montiel remembers a Venezuela that brimmed with optimism — before decades of political and economic turmoil turned it into one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.

“Socialism and open borders,” Montiel told Fox News Digital in an interview, are what sent her country into decline.

The Houston-area Republican won the Miss Venezuela title at age 19 in 1984 and later finished as a runner-up for Miss Universe. But long before her pageant fame, she says, Venezuela’s political foundations were already beginning to crack.

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While the nation remained a democracy for decades, two socialist parties dominated power.

“We got the influx of illegal immigrants, crime went up, drugs started to be a problem,” she said. “The first thing they destroyed was the healthcare system. Venezuela used to have one of the most wonderful healthcare systems — it was paid for, it was our social security. Because the country was so rich, it provided so many services to the Venezuelan people. And of course, no country has the infrastructure for a vertical growth of the population.”

Montiel came to the U.S. for college in 1988, hoping the unrest at home would ease. Instead, she watched from abroad as Hugo Chávez led two coup attempts in 1992, and the country erupted in riots and looting.

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“I decided I’m gonna stay a little longer, see if things get better,” she said. “But they never did.”

From Chávez’s failed coup to Nicolás Maduro’s current hold on power, Montiel sees a straight line — one she says runs through corruption, cartel influence and foreign alliances with Russia and Iran.

“Communism always runs out of money,” Montiel said. “Even in a rich country like Venezuela, oil production collapsed, and what was left for them was crime. That’s why they joined the cartels — it’s a criminal communist regime.”

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U.S. officials have long accused members of Maduro’s inner circle of involvement in narcotics trafficking, particularly through the Cartel de los Soles — a network of Venezuelan military officers implicated in smuggling cocaine to North America and Europe. Washington has also sanctioned dozens of Venezuelan officials for corruption and ties to terrorist groups, though Caracas denies the charges.

Montiel supports the recent U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking networks off Venezuela’s coast and believes they are justified given the threat she says the regime poses to the United States.

“Venezuela presents a very high risk to the United States,” she said. “It’s the drug trafficking, the Tren de Aragua trafficking … the problems that many Venezuelan people escaped, now we’re facing in the United States.”

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The Department of War has conducted 14 lethal strikes on vessels allegedly smuggling narcotics toward U.S. shores over the past two months.

In Montiel’s view, dismantling cartel networks and exposing the Venezuelan military’s complicity are essential steps toward toppling the regime. “This is a criminal communist regime and we should never remove the word ‘communist,’” she said.

At the same time, the U.S. has intensified pressure on Maduro, whom it does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. The Justice Department is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.

Analysts have questioned whether the widening military campaign may have a deeper objective: pushing Venezuela’s socialist leader from power.

A U.S. intervention aimed at removing Maduro would likely divide Americans still wary of foreign entanglements. But Montiel insists Venezuelans themselves would welcome it.

“The people that are still in Venezuela are supporters of President Donald Trump because they’re screaming for freedom,” she said. “They’re screaming to get out of the situation.”

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Still, she acknowledges that removing the regime alone won’t rebuild the country.

“The country is pretty much destroyed,” she said. “It’s worse than any third world country. It’s going to take probably 30 years to get Venezuela back to what it used to be.”

Montiel is running in the Nov. 4, 2025, special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional district, a heavily Democratic Houston seat left vacant after the death of Sylvester Turner. 

Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet on Saturday slammed teachers at an Arizona high school for appearing to mock the death of Charlie Kirk but walked his remarks back at least partially when it turned out their Halloween costumes predated Kirk’s death.

Kolvet posted a photo on X showing eight teachers from Cienaga High School’s math department in the Vail School District in Tucson wearing white shirts splattered with dark red dye and featuring the phrase “Problem Solved.” 

He said the image was shared by concerned parents.

“Concerned parents just sent us this image of what’s believed to be teachers in [the Vail School District] in Tuscon, Arizona mocking Charlie’s murder with costumes that read ‘Problem Solved’ and blood down the left side of their shirts,” Kolvet said. “They deserve to be famous, and fired.”

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School Superintendent John Carruth said the shirts were part of “math-themed Halloween costumes” and were not referencing any individual or event. Indeed, photos circulated on social media from the prior year appeared to show teachers wearing similar shirts.

“We understand that a recent social media post showing members of Cienega’s math department wearing shirts that say ‘Problem Solved’ has caused some confusion and concern,” Carruth said in a statement. “The shirts were worn in reference to solving math problems.”

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Kolvet released a new statement acknowledging that the costumes had been worn before Kirk was assassinated in Utah in September but still objected to the message he said they sent.

“Vail Schools said these math teachers wore the same costume last year,” Kolvet wrote on X. “I was waiting for confirmation, and it appears they did.

“We’ve seen enough evil since Charlie’s murder that I’d actually be relieved if this isn’t another example,” he continued. “That being said, it’s a very weird costume for teachers in general, but after what happened to Charlie, I’m absolutely floored they wore it again.”

Carruth apologized and said the shirts would not be worn again.

“This is a hard lesson for all of us that more thought and care need to be taken in these times. Please know that lesson has been learned,” Carruth said. “We also want to express concern that some individuals are being targeted online as a result of this misunderstanding. Personal attacks or threats against staff are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of our community.”

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Kolvet, however, questioned the district’s explanation, noting that the red dye appeared only on the left side of the shirts — the same side where Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.

“Who’s buying this explanation?” Kolvet questioned.

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Neither Cienaga High School nor Carruth immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

A deadly shooting unfolded in Texas Friday when an off-duty Harris County deputy opened fire on a man who allegedly tried to get into his car, as his young child sat just feet away.

The shooting happened at about 2:45 p.m. Friday in Atascocita, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Houston, after an off-duty deputy called 911 to tell them he had someone at gunpoint, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Maj. Ben Katrib said the deputy had just placed his child in a car seat when an unknown man, later identified as Darrius Williams, 27, allegedly attempted to get into his car.

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The deputy was heard giving multiple verbal commands to Williams, but he allegedly ignored the warnings and opened the passenger door of the deputy’s car.

Katrib said the deputy opened fire, hitting Williams multiple times.

First responders provided aid, but Williams was later pronounced dead at the hospital, FOX 26 Houston reported.

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Officials said the deputy, who has not been publicly identified, and his child are OK.

It is unclear if Williams had any weapons at the time of the alleged intrusion, or how many times he was shot, according to the report.

Williams’ mother, Tieneeshia, said her son was released from jail Thursday night and was struggling with mental health issues.

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“Last night they picked him up for walking into oncoming traffic and ran his name. So he had a warrant for failure to appear from the last episode,” Tieneeshia Williams said. “The officer called me when she was there with him on the scene and asked me a lot of questions, and I said, ‘Ma’am, why don’t you just take him to the psychiatric ward. He’s walking into traffic.’ She said, ‘Oh no, we’re going to deal with this warrant, he’s going to jail.’”

Sources told FOX 26 Ring camera video footage may have captured the incident.

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The sheriff’s office and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office have opened separate investigations into the incident, according to the report.

When the investigation concludes, the DA’s office will present the findings to a grand jury to determine whether charges will be filed.