About 200 protesters converged in front of Colorado Springs City Hall on Sunday in response to a U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

The so-called “pop-up” demonstration was organized by the protest group 50501, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.” Several local veterans’ groups, including About Face and El Paso County Progressive Veterans, also joined the protest.

“We’re here to express our issues involving the current military operation in Venezuela,” said 50501 spokeswoman Shawn Maddox.

According to multiple reports, U.S. Special Forces conducted an offensive near the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Saturday, capturing Maduro and transporting him to the U.S., where he remains in custody. President Donald Trump has stated that the U.S. will oversee government operations in Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can take place.

Gov. Jared Polis celebrated Maduro’s removal from power in a social media statement on Saturday.

“Today is a moment to celebrate the ouster of the brutal socialist dictator of Venezuela, who has cruelly impoverished this once-prosperous country that sits on greater oil wealth than Saudi Arabia,” Polis said on X. “I join our fellow Coloradans who have suffered so severely from this thug in calling for a democratic Venezuela where freedom and opportunity can again flourish.”

On Sunday, protesters acknowledged that Maduro’s ouster could ultimately be beneficial to the Venezuelan people, but argued that the Trump administration initiated Saturday’s action without going through proper channels.

“It’s important to point out that Maduro was a disastrous leader,” Maddox said.

“He caused an immense amount of suffering among the Venezuelan people, and it is entirely legitimate for them to feel joy and relief at his departure. But the operation to kidnap and remove a foreign head of state sets a deeply dangerous precedent.”

Local veteran Stephen Delahunt called the military action “unconstitutional.”

“They didn’t get prior approval from Congress,” said Delahunt, who served in Afghanistan. “They failed to follow the congressional process. That makes this unconstitutional.”

Even as Polis lauded Maduro’s removal from power, he expressed concern about the “lack of Congressional oversight and engagement up to this point.”

U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, who represents Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, also weighed in on the operation, saying “Maduro is being brought to justice to answer for the terrorism and drug crimes he has committed against the United States.”

Protesters said the operation has already cost millions of dollars that might have been spent on helping U.S. citizens in crisis.

“We are already several million dollars in — money that could have been spent on health care, schools, plenty of issues in our country,” Delahunt said. “And there’s no end in sight.”

As demonstrators waved signs and chanted “No blood for oil” — referring to Venezuela’s massive oil reserves, which Trump has promised to seize — Maddox warned against the possible future implications of Saturday’s operation.

“No matter how reprehensible (Maduro) may be, unilateral actions of this kind undermine international law,” she said. “Ultimately, Venezuela’s leaders, and their future, need to be decided by Venezuelans.”