In a stunning operation that drew global attention, US forces arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and flew them to New York to face criminal charges. The move marks an unprecedented escalation in US involvement in the South American country.
President Donald Trump announced that Washington would temporarily manage Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” could be arranged. “We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela who doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
US Assumes Interim Control
Trump said the country would be managed by a team that includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine. While he outlined the leadership group, Trump provided few concrete details about how the interim administration would operate.
At one point, he claimed Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, had been sworn in as Maduro’s successor and was willing to cooperate with US plans. However, Venezuelan authorities have not confirmed any swearing-in. Trump also highlighted plans to involve US oil companies in rebuilding Venezuela’s damaged energy infrastructure. “We’re going to spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” he said, adding that a “second and much larger attack” could be launched if necessary.
Legal Justification and Political Backlash
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the operation as a law enforcement mission supported by the military, saying congressional approval was not required. Maduro, he noted, had been indicted in the US in 2020 and was a fugitive with a $50 million reward on his head. Trump added that Congress had not been briefed to prevent potential leaks.
The move drew immediate criticism from Democrats. Senator Mark Warner warned that the operation set a dangerous precedent, questioning what would stop other nations from taking similar actions against US allies. Warner also pointed to perceived hypocrisy, contrasting Trump’s intervention in Venezuela with his earlier pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted of drug trafficking in the US.
Uncertain Future for Venezuela
Republicans largely backed the operation. Senator Roger Wicker praised the mission as a “successful effort” to weaken criminal networks tied to Maduro. “The Venezuelan people must now act swiftly to put their country back on a path to peace and prosperity,” Wicker said.
Yet experts caution that the arrests could destabilize the country. Daniel DePetris of Defense Priorities warned that Venezuela could face military splits, the rise of criminal groups, civil war, or the emergence of a worse autocrat. He noted that US justifications for the intervention—from fighting drug trafficking to reclaiming oil resources—have shifted repeatedly. “In reality, Venezuela is a bankrupt state whose economy has collapsed over the last decade,” DePetris said, highlighting the risks of overestimating the threat posed by Maduro’s regime.
