Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was held in a New York jail on Saturday, hours after US special forces seized him and his wife in a pre-dawn raid on Caracas, with President Donald Trump asserting that the United States would exercise control over the country.
The operation involved air strikes on key military sites in and around the Venezuelan capital, followed by commandos extracting Maduro and his wife. A US government plane transported the couple to a military base before they were flown by helicopter to New York City to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. Footage released by the White House showed Maduro, handcuffed and in sandals, escorted through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility. “Good night, happy new year,” the 63-year-old leader was heard saying in English.
Trump indicated that members of his cabinet would oversee operations in Venezuela but offered few specifics. He did not endorse opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as the country’s next leader, suggesting instead that Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, “is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.” Rodriguez, however, demanded Maduro’s release and vowed to “defend” the country. Late Saturday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court directed Rodriguez to assume presidential powers in an acting capacity.
The US operation appears motivated in part by Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Trump said, “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies… go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure… We’ll be selling large amounts of oil.”
The raid has drawn strong international criticism. China condemned the operation, calling for Maduro’s immediate release and accusing the US of violating international law and UN principles. France said no solution could “be imposed from outside,” and UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over breaches of international law. The UN Security Council, at Venezuela’s request, is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the crisis.
The operation, months in the making, saw 150 aircraft supporting troops who relied on detailed intelligence on Maduro’s daily habits. US military officials reported that Maduro and his wife surrendered without a struggle and that no US personnel were killed. Trump claimed that “many” Cuban members of Maduro’s security detail died, though Venezuelan casualty figures have not been released. Caracas residents described the city as eerily quiet after the raid, with smoke lingering in the streets and police stationed outside government buildings.
Trump framed the intervention as addressing illegal migration, drug trafficking, and oil control. While Congress debated the legality of the operation, Republican House leader Mike Johnson defended it as “justified.” Maduro, in power since 2013 after succeeding Hugo Chávez, has long accused the US of seeking regime change to seize Venezuela’s resources.
The situation remains fluid, with uncertainty over Venezuela’s leadership and US involvement as the country faces a potential transitional period.
