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Former Miss Venezuela blames ‘socialism and open borders’ for her country’s devastating collapse

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Former Miss Venezuela blames ‘socialism and open borders’ for her country’s devastating collapse

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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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CHINA CONDEMNS US MILITARY BUILDUP OFF VENEZUELA COAST AS FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN REGIONAL AFFAIRS

Venezuela-born Carmen Maria Montiel is running for Congress as a Republican in Texas.  (Fox News digital)

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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IS TRUMP’S ‘HEAT’ ON VENEZUELA THE START OF A WIDER CAMPAIGN FOR REGIME CHANGE?

Carmen Maria Montiel won the Miss Venezuela pageant in 1984.  (Carmen Montiel )

“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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ALLIANCE WITH US ‘DISMANTLED’ BY LEFTIST PETRO REGIME, COLOMBIA’S FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

“Socialism and open borders,” Montiel says, are what sent her country into decline. (Carmen Montiel )

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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WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during celebrations for the Independence Day, in Caracas on July 5, 2025.  (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

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.

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

The U.S. has conducted 14 strikes on drug vessels since September.  (X.com/SecWar)

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. 

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13-year-old girl narrowly escapes broad daylight abduction after biting masked attacker

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13-year-old girl narrowly escapes broad daylight abduction after biting masked attacker

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A 13-year-old girl in Texas narrowly escaped an attempted abduction in broad daylight Monday when a man tried to grab her from behind as she walked to school, authorities said. Officials said the suspect appeared to be wearing a ski mask.

The encounter happened as the teenager was walking to Central Middle School in Galveston shortly before 7 a.m., when she suddenly “heard footsteps approaching from behind,” according to the Galveston Police Department.

The unidentified man reportedly grabbed her from behind, sparking a brief struggle. 

The teen bit the man twice and broke free without sustaining any physical injuries, officials said. She then ran directly to the school and informed her teachers, who called the police.

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INVESTIGATORS RELEASE VIDEO OF POSSIBLE ABDUCTION, SHOWING WOMAN SCREAMING AS SHE’S PULLED AWAY

The man accused of attempting to kidnap a 13-year-old girl is seen walking in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department)

The student’s parents later arrived at the school to accompany officers back to their apartment and retrace her route, helping them pinpoint exactly where the incident occurred.

Investigators obtained security footage from a nearby business that shows the student walking through the area, followed shortly by a man taking the same path, police said.

SUV DRIVER RUNS OVER 8-YEAR-OLD BOY ON BIKE, FLEES THE SCENE AFTER CHECKING ON INJURED CHILD

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A man seen on surveillance video is accused of grabbing a 13-year-old girl walking to school in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025.  (Galveston Police Department/Google Maps)

Authorities said the video shows the suspect, believed to be a white or Hispanic male, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and what appeared to be a ski mask.

Police also issued an alert to local medical centers, asking them to notify authorities if anyone sought treatment for bite-related injuries.

Police say a man with what appeared to be a ski mask tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department)

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Officials urged anyone with information about the suspect’s identity to contact the Galveston Police Department at 409-763-3777.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Galveston Police Department for more information.

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Trump’s shadow looms over Texas race as Hunt accuses Cornyn of betrayal

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Trump’s shadow looms over Texas race as Hunt accuses Cornyn of betrayal

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FIRST ON FOX: The primary battle for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat in Texas continues to rage on as newly announced candidate, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, unleashed on the incumbent in an interview with Fox News Digital, saying the GOP “has left him.”

Hunt, who entered the race earlier this month, did not mince words when ripping Cornyn over an alleged anti-President Donald Trump voting record and pointed to a number of Truth Social posts and reposts from Trump from 2023. 

“John Cornyn has spent 35 million dollars over the course of the past few months to still find himself in third place and polling in the low thirties,” Hunt told Fox News Digital. “There’s still 20% of the electorate that’s undecided, which means that there’s clearly room for us.”

TEXAS FINDS THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS REGISTERED TO VOTE ON STATE VOTER ROLLS

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Rep. Wesley Hunt, right, blasted Sen. John Cornyn, left, over his alleged anti-President Donald Trump voting record. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I’ve gotten into this race to give the true conservative Texan an option,” Hunt continued. “And that’s going to be between me and Ken Paxton, because, unfortunately for John Cornyn, he’s not going to make it. This party has left him.”

Cornyn punched back at Hunt’s claims in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling the congressman a “show horse.”

“Senator Cornyn has voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time he’s been in the White House,” Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak told Fox News Digital. “Is Wesley Hunt calling President Trump liberal? Wesley Hunt voted for Hillary Clinton in 2008 and didn’t vote for Trump in November 2016.”

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Senate candidate Welsey Hunt is also facing Ken Paxton in the GOP primary. President Trump’s potential endorsement could play a big role in the election.  (Left to right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

“He’s missed 27% of all House votes THIS YEAR when President Trump needed him with a 2 or 3 seat margin,” Mackowiak continued. “While show horses like Wesley Hunt run their mouth, Sen. Cornyn works to effectively represent Texas, deliver conservative victories and advance Trump’s agenda.”

Hunt blasted Cornyn on the voting record the senator defended, saying the incumbent has not stood with Trump and is lying about his voting history. 

“He has not stood with the president while he is trying to run ads, and he is saying he has voted with President Trump 99% of the time,” Hunt told Fox News Digital. “We all know that that’s a flat out lie. We also know that his Liberty score is 54%.”

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“We also know that he is one of the most liberal senators of all the Senate on the Republican side,” Hunt added. “And he has been siding with the uniparty and siding with the RINOs for decades. We already know this. And the best thing about the primary voter here in Texas is that it’s a high information voter.”

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Mike Segar /Reuters)

Hunt also pointed to several Truth Social posts that then-former President Donald Trump posted in 2023 describing how “RINO” and “hopeless” John Cornyn joined Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in “trying to cobble together a series of massive concessions for Cryin’ Chuck Schumer and the Lunatic Left.” 

Trump also hit Cornyn on gun control, saying on June 22, 2022, that “RINO Senator John Cornyn of Texas” will “go down in history as the first step in the movement to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY.”

Hunt would be the first Black statewide elected official if he were to defeat Cornyn and another primary contender, the sitting state Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the primary. 

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When asked what a historic win such as that means for the race, Hunt told Fox News Digital that being the first Black statewide elected official is “not important to me.”

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“What’s most important to me is the fact that I am an American and people are going to vote for me because of the way I view conservatism, the way I view Texas, and they’re going to judge me not based on the color of my skin, but by the content of my character,” Hunt explained. 

Paxton could not be reached for comment. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

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‘Meth Busters’: CBP officers in Eagle Pass halt massive drug shipment bound for United States

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‘Meth Busters’: CBP officers in Eagle Pass halt massive drug shipment bound for United States

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Eagle Pass, Texas, intercepted nearly 90 pounds of liquid methamphetamine this week, uncovering the narcotics hidden inside plastic bottles during a vehicle inspection, officials said.

The discovery was made Oct. 29 at the Camino Real International Bridge when officers referred a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban for secondary inspection. 

A closer search revealed five plastic bottles containing 88.8 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $816,556, CBP said in a statement.

“This significant seizure was possible because of the continued vigilance and alertness our CBP officers put forth on a daily basis,” Port Director Pete Beattie of the Eagle Pass Port of Entry said.

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CBP officers seized the narcotics, and Homeland Security Investigations special agents opened a federal inquiry.

COAST GUARD OFFLOADS RECORD-BREAKING AMOUNT OF DRUGS OFF FLORIDA COAST

90 lbs of liquid methamphetamine was confiscated by CBP officers at Eagle Pass, Texas on Oct. 29. (Customs and Border Protection)

On social media, the agency struck a lighter note, posting photos of the evidence with the caption:

“When there’s something strange, in a vehicle, who you gonna call? Meth Busters!”

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The pun-filled post quickly drew attention online, but officials emphasized the serious stakes behind the operation, calling the seizure part of an intensified effort to block synthetic drugs at South Texas ports of entry.

ICE, CBP SEIZE 400 FIREARMS HIDDEN IN FAKE TRAILER WALLS AT SOUTHERN BORDER CROSSING

Federal authorities display barrels containing chemicals used to create synthetic drugs like methamphetamine during a news conference in Pasadena, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025. (Ronaldo Schemidt/Getty)

Liquid-form meth shipments have become increasingly common along the border, according to CBP data. The agency has reported several similar interdictions in recent months, including seizures at Laredo, Brownsville and Pharr involving narcotics concealed in vehicle compartments and household containers.

Two men were arrested in July after law enforcement seized nearly 900 pounds of suspected methamphetamine worth approximately $1.7 million. (@FBIDDBongino via X)

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CBP said it will continue heightened inspections along the Eagle Pass corridor, where officers process thousands of commercial and passenger vehicles daily.

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The agency urged the public to remain alert for smuggling activity and to report suspicious behavior through the CBP Tip Line or by contacting local authorities.

CBP did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.

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