The Venezuelan leader awaits federal court proceedings after a U.S. raid, as President Donald Trump declares Washington will oversee the country during a transition period.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Venezuela’s ousted leader Nicolás Maduro was being held Sunday at a New York detention facility ahead of court proceedings on U.S. drug charges, a day after President Donald Trump ordered a military operation to capture him and announced that the United States would temporarily take control of the oil-producing nation.
Maduro, 63, was scheduled to appear Monday in federal court in Manhattan. Images released by U.S. authorities showing him blindfolded and handcuffed during his transfer to the United States circulated widely, prompting sharp reactions among Venezuelans and drawing international criticism. The operation marked Washington’s most contentious intervention in Latin America since the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.
Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said the United States would oversee Venezuela, a country of roughly 30 million people, until a new government is established. He said the move would include management of Venezuela’s oil resources, which he described as the largest in the world, though he offered few specifics.
“We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said. He added that Maduro was seized as he approached the entrance to a secure room.
In Caracas, Maduro’s allies denounced the operation as a kidnapping and maintained control of key government institutions. Trump dismissed the prospect of opposition leader María Corina Machado assuming power, saying she lacked sufficient support. Machado, who was barred from running in Venezuela’s 2024 election, has argued that her ally Edmundo González should take office, citing opposition tallies and statements from some international observers who said he won the vote.
Once among Latin America’s wealthiest nations, Venezuela’s economy deteriorated sharply under Maduro, contributing to an exodus that has sent about one in five Venezuelans abroad. Many members of the diaspora welcomed his removal, citing years of repression and the repeated crushing of opposition protests by security forces. Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, succeeded Hugo Chávez in 2013.
“We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country,” said Khaty Yanez, a Venezuelan living in Santiago, Chile.
Trump has accused Maduro of directing drug trafficking into the United States and maintaining power through election fraud. Maduro has denied the allegations. Venezuelan officials demanded his release and accused Washington of seeking control over the country’s oil and mineral wealth.
“There is only one president in Venezuela, and his name is Nicolás Maduro,” said Delcy Rodríguez, who said she had assumed interim presidential powers under a Venezuelan court order. Trump had previously suggested she might work with U.S. authorities.
U.S. officials said special forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early Saturday following strikes on military installations in Caracas and other locations. While many Western governments oppose Maduro and have questioned the legitimacy of Venezuela’s elections, several called for restraint, respect for international law and a diplomatic resolution.
In Washington, some lawmakers raised legal concerns about capturing the head of state of a foreign government. Democratic lawmakers said they were misled during congressional briefings and demanded clarity on the administration’s next steps.
Trump said major U.S. oil companies would return to Venezuela to begin restoring its deteriorated energy infrastructure, a process experts say could take years. He also signaled openness to a continued military presence.
“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” Trump said.
A plane carrying Maduro arrived near New York City late Saturday. He was flown by helicopter to the city and taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. U.S. authorities released images showing him being escorted through a hallway at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York offices, where he was heard wishing a “happy New Year.”
Indicted in 2020 on federal charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, Maduro is expected to make an initial appearance Monday in Manhattan federal court.
Uncertainty remained over how the United States plans to oversee Venezuela as events unfold. In the country, residents rushed to buy groceries and fuel, while soldiers patrolled parts of the nation. The U.N. Security Council planned to meet Monday to discuss the U.S. action, which Secretary-General António Guterres described as a “dangerous precedent.” Russia and China, key allies of Maduro, criticized Washington, with Beijing accusing the United States of violating Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Trump’s comments about an open-ended U.S. role prompted comparisons to past American interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said a U.S. occupation “won’t cost us a penny,” arguing the United States would be reimbursed through Venezuelan oil revenues.
The episode also heightened political tensions in Washington ahead of November’s midterm elections, with Democrats criticizing Trump’s foreign policy approach and some Republicans expressing concern about prolonged foreign involvement under the banner of “America First.”
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