Trump Orders Military Seizure of Venezuela, Announces US Control Amid Maduro Capture
The United states has taken direct control of venezuela following a stunning military operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
The overnight operation, confirmed by the White House on Saturday, saw more than 150 aircraft – including fighter jets, helicopters, and bombers – launched from 20 different locations after President Donald Trump authorized the action Friday night. video released by the White House depicts Maduro being escorted in handcuffs through the metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he will await a court appearance as early as Monday. In the footage, Maduro, clad in a black hoodie, is seen wishing an onlooker a “Happy new Year” as he walks down a hallway marked “DEA NYD.”
Trump stated the US will “run” Venezuela for the time being, though details regarding the interim governing structure remain sparse. He indicated an “interim group” comprised of top management officials will oversee the country for a “period of time” until a “peaceful and just transition” can be established.
The capture follows months of escalating pressure on Maduro’s regime,with the US government alleging his involvement in narco-terrorism conspiracy and other offenses. A law enforcement source confirmed to The New York Times that Maduro had arrived at the Brooklyn detention center Saturday evening.
The move has sparked immediate controversy and condemnation from some corners. Former Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement Saturday evening,asserting that Trump’s actions “do not make America safer,stronger,or more affordable.” “That Maduro is a brutal,illegitimate dictator dose not change the fact that this action was both unlawful and unwise,” she said. “We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price.” Harris accused Trump of prioritizing oil interests and regional power projection over genuine concerns for democracy or drug enforcement.
democrats have echoed these concerns, accusing the president of launching the military action primarily due to oil interests, rather than a commitment to combating drug trafficking. “This is not about drugs or democracy. It is indeed about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” Harris stated.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the operation, maintaining that the Trump administration did not require congressional approval for the intervention, characterizing it as a “law enforcement exercise” in support of the Department of Justice. However, Hegseth conceded that Congress would be kept “involved” in any future decisions or extensions of the operation. “This was a law enforcement exercise that was the Department of War in support of the Department of Justice pulling out an indicted person who ultimately will face justice,” Hegseth told CBS Evening News Saturday.
In Venezuela, the Supreme court has appointed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting president, citing Maduro’s “material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions.” According to an order issued by Justice Tania D’Amelio,Rodriguez will assume all presidential powers to ensure “administrative continuity and the thorough defense of the nation.”
the US intervention has already ignited protests both within Venezuela and in the United States. Demonstrations took place in Los Angeles and other major US cities, with protesters carrying signs reading “No Blood for Oil” and “Hands Off Latin America.” One protester in chicago, Katrina Denny, told The New York Times, “I’m 37 and grew up with the Iraq wars. This morning, I was like, ‘Oh my god, we’re doing it again.'” Around 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as Maduro arrived, with one individual, Jaky Coronado, stating he “must pay for all the crimes against humanity that he has committed against the Venezuelan people.”
The long-term implications of this unprecedented intervention remain uncertain. The question of what comes next in Venezuela is paramount, and the US administration’s plan for a “peaceful and just transition” remains largely undefined.
