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Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have arrived in New York after U.S. forces seized them from their home in an extraordinary military operation.
Video shared Saturday night by the White House showed Maduro being perp walked in at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he will be held before his first court appearance – which could be as early as Monday.
In the video, Maduro is seen in a black hoodie, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labeled “DEA NYD” and wishes one onlooker a “Happy New Year.”
Following his capture, President Donald Trump said the U.S. will run Venezuela for now and earlier shared a photograph of Maduro in handcuffs en route to New York, where he has been indicted with several offenses, including Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy.
The president was pressed by reporters about who would be running Venezuela during the transition period and offered few details on who exactly would be in charge.
More than 150 aircraft, including several fighter jets, helicopters and bombers, launched from 20 different points after Trump gave the order Friday night, with service members from across the military branches.
Meanwhile, Democrats have accused the president of launching the sweeping military action because of oil, not drugs.
With reporting from Rosali Hernandez in Caracas
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth maintained that the Trump administration did not need permission from Congress to carry out attacks in Venezuela, but said that it would “be involved” in future decisions/
“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.
“And Marco [Rubio] was clear there that this is not something you notify Congress about beforehand. but were there to be more or extensions to this? Of course, we’ll keep Congress involved.”
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 03:55
Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodriguez will assume the powers and duties of acting president, following the capture of Nicolas Maduro
The order from Venezuela’s Supreme Court was announced on Saturday night local time, and stated that Maduro is in a “material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions.”
Rodriguez will “assume and exercise, as acting president, all the powers, duties, and faculties inherent to the office of president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to guarantee administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation,” according to the order, given by Justice Tania D’Amelio.
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 03:46
In a post Saturday evening, former vice president Kamala Harris slammed Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela, saying they “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.”
“That Maduro is a brutal, illegitimate dictator does 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.
“The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to.
“This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman. If he cared about either, he wouldn’t pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro’s cronies.”
Harris added: “The President is putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilizing a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home.
“America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first.”
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 03:35
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
(REUTERS)
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 03:14
President Donald Trump says the United States will “run” Venezuela after a military operation captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, shocking the world with an overnight attack that marked the culmination of a months-long pressure campaign against the nation’s leader.
The U.S. president said an interim “group” with top administration officials will “run” the country for “a period of time” until the United States determines a “peaceful and just transition” can take place.
Alex Woodward looks at what comes next:
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 03:00
A still image from video posted by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City, U.S., January 3, 2026. (via REUTERS)
A still image from video posted by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X.com, which originated from the @PaulDMauro account, shows Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro being walked in custody down a hallway at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City, U.S., January 3, 2026. (via REUTERS)
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 02:52
Video shared by the White House appeared to show Nicolas Maduro being perp walked in Brooklyn.
The ousted Venezuelan president is seen in a black hoodie, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labeled “DEA NYD.”
“Good night, Happy New Year,” Maduro says to an onlooker.
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 02:45
U.S. citizens have taken to the streets in major cities across the country in protest of the government’s operations in Venezuela, and the capture of president Nicolas Maduro.
People gathered in Los Angeles, some holding signs that read “No Blood for Oil,” “No U.S. War on Venezuela” and “Hands Off Latin America.”
(REUTERS)
“I’m 37 and grew up with the Iraq wars,” Katrina Denny, who was among protesters in Chicago, told The New York Times.
“This morning, I was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re doing it again.’”
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 02:30
Around 100 demonstrators were gathered to greet Nicolas Maduro as he arrived with federal agents to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn Saturday night.
Jaky Coronado, who was among the crowd, told The New York Times she had arrived in the United States more than a year ago and had waited for hours to see the ousted Venezuelan president.
“He must pay for all the crimes against humanity that he has committed against the Venezuelan people,” she said, per The Times.
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 02:11
Nicolas Maduro has been transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he will be held.
A law enforcement source with knowledge of the ousted Venzuelan president’s movements confirmed to The New York Times that he had arrived Saturday evening.
Mike Bedigan4 January 2026 02:02