Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is being held in a New York federal detention center today following a high-stakes weekend raid by U.S. Special Forces in Caracas.
The operation, dubbed "Operation Absolute Resolve," saw elite Delta Force units and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their compound early Saturday. The pair were flown to New York to face federal charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and illegal weapons possession.
Maduro, 63, is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He is expected to make his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Monday.
In Caracas, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been named interim president by the Venezuelan Supreme Court to ensure "administrative continuity." On state television, Rodriguez condemned the U.S. military action as a "kidnapping" and demanded Maduro's immediate release.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort, stated that the United States would assume temporary control of the country.
"We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition," Trump told reporters. He added that major U.S. oil companies would move in to "refurbish" Venezuela’s oil infrastructure—the largest reserves in the world—to generate revenue for the country.
The U.S. has long refused to recognize Maduro's legitimacy, citing allegations of stolen elections in 2018 and 2024. Maduro, who has led the socialist nation since 2013, has consistently denied drug-trafficking allegations, claiming U.S. charges are a pretext for seizing Venezuela’s natural resources.
The U.S. military remains on high alert in the Caribbean, led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, as the transition of power begins.
