President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he has authorized the CIA to go into Venezuela and conduct covert operations.

Axar.az reports asked by CBS News senior White House correspondent Ed O'Keefe why he did so, the president said he had two reasons:

First, "they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America" and "allowed thousands and thousands of prisoners" and "people from mental institutions, insane asylums" into the U.S. Trump has frequently alleged — without citing evidence — that other countries are deliberately sending people from prisons and mental institutions to the southern border.

He also cited the "drugs coming in from Venezuela."

"A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in from the sea. You get to see that," he told reporters at the White House in what seemed to be a reference to his administration's military airstrikes against suspected drug traffickers in waters off the coast of Venezuela. "But we're gonna stop them by land, also."

The New York Times first reported the president's authorization of CIA operations in Venezuela. Top Trump administration officials have accused Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of controlling the drug cartel Tren de Aragua, which Maduro denies, and the Justice Department has offered a reward for information leading to his capture. In August, the department doubled the bounty to $50 million.

Asked Wednesday whether the CIA had the authority to target Maduro, Mr. Trump said it would be "a ridiculous question for me to answer," but "I think Venezuela is feeling heat."

The Venezuelan government condemned Mr. Trump's "warmongering and extravagant" comments in a statement, and accused the U.S. of seeking "regime change" in Venezuela.