State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela

The warning came amid reports of armed militias.

ByIvan Pereira, Mary Kekatos, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, David Brennan, Meredith Deliso, and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: January 11, 2026, 10:28 PM EST

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife appeared in a federal court in New York City on Monday, following their capture by U.S. forces over the weekend in a military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

Following the operation, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela for an unspecified "period of time."

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim leader to lead the country after what the Venezuelan Supreme Court described as Maduro's "kidnapping."

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Jan 03, 2026, 11:31 PM EST

Photos show handcuffed Maduro escorted by DEA administrator

Photos obtained by ABC News show a handcuffed Nicolas Maduro being escorted by Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole and other federal agents after landing in New York on Saturday.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is escorted by Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole after arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, January 3, 2026.
Obtained by ABC News

After arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, Maduro was taken by helicopter to New York City and then to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Maduro, who was captured in Venezuela early Saturday morning along with his wife Cilia Flores, is facing federal narco-terrorism charges in the U.S.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is escorted by Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole after arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, January 3, 2026.
Obtained by ABC News

Jan 03, 2026, 8:56 PM EST

Maduro en route to Brooklyn detention center, his wife also in NY: Sources

Nicolas Maduro's wife Cilia Flores, is also in U.S. custody in New York, sources familiar with the matter said.

DEA agents are seen in front and inside of a van supposedly transporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from the Westside Heliport in New York City, January 3, 2026.
Olga Fedorova/EPA/Shutterstock

Shortly before 9 p.m., Maduro was on his way to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, where he will be held.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Luke Barr and Katherine Faulders

Jan 03, 2026, 7:20 PM EST

Photos appear to show Maduro being escorted from plane in New York

Photos and videos appeared to show Maduro being escorted by agents from a plane after it landed outside New York City.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is led in custody from a U.S. federal airplane before his scheduled court appearance at Manhattan federal court, at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, January 3, 2026.
WABC

Maduro was expected to be flown into the city by helicopter and expected to be processed on federal charges and detained in a federal jail as he awaits trial.

One of the helicopters believed to be carrying Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arrives after they were captured overnight in Venezuela by U.S. forces, at the Westside Heliport in New York City, January 3, 2026.
Jeenah Moon/Reuters
A motorcade carrying ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro leaves the Westside Heliport in New York, January 3, 2026.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Jan 03, 2026, 6:44 PM EST

'Trump finally said the quiet part out loud,' DNC chair

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin criticized the U.S. operations in Venezuela in a statement on Saturday, excoriating Trump for what Martin called "unconstitutional and illegal strikes."

"Today, Trump finally said the quiet part out loud. The justification for this war isn’t about stemming the flow of drugs. This is about regime change. This is about enriching oil corporations and billionaires," Martin said.

A handout satellite image made available by Vantor shows the Venezuelan military complex at Fuerte Tiuna, Caracas, following US attacks, on Jan. 3, 2026.
Satellite Image 2025 Vantor via EPA via Shutterstock

He called for Congress to "immediately assert its constitutional authority" over U.S. military moves.

"This is the worst kind of betrayal from Trump. He committed the United States to an uncertain role in South America with an indeterminate timeline," Martin said.

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim

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