Americans held captive by South American dictator symptom of deeper threat, says former Green Beret

The State Department spokesperson said, "All Americans unjustly detained by the Maduro regime must be released immediately" and noted that the U.S. "continues our efforts to secure the release of any remaining Americans unjustly detained by the regime in Venezuela."

Goudreau pointed to the Monroe Doctrine, an 1823 proclamation that said America would not allow foreign enemies in the Western Hemisphere as "one of the reasons Venezuela is significant."

TdA is an international gang that has unleashed a wave of terror across U.S. cities that has included taking over entire apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado. The group was recently designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Department of State.

Through these networks, Goudreau said, Maduro can "flood the United States with fentanyl."

"Because he has individuals who have access and placement [in the United States], whether it's Tren de Aragua or whoever, he obviously has agents in the United States who are moving product, moving fentanyl and things of that nature, killing Americans. So, this is the obvious threat we've seen this over the last four years," Goudreau explained.

"Everybody wants to create a kind of clarity, but this is an incredibly complex situation. It's not going to get fixed overnight," he said.