MADURO HELD IN NEW YORK JAIL AS TRUMP CLAIMS US WILL ‘RUN’ VENEZUELA
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By: Sefiu Ajape
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was held in a New York jail on Saturday, hours after American special forces seized and flew him out of his country, an operation President Donald Trump said would place Venezuela under effective US control.
The operation followed a pre-dawn raid in which US commandos captured Maduro and his wife, while air strikes pounded sites in and around Caracas.
A US government plane carrying Maduro landed at a military base shortly after nightfall, and he was transported by helicopter to New York City, where the couple was to be arraigned on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
The White House posted a video on X showing Maduro, handcuffed and in sandals, escorted by federal agents through a US Drug Enforcement Administration facility in New York. “Good night, happy new year,” the 63-year-old leftist is heard saying in English.
Despite the success of the daring raid, the next steps remain uncertain. Trump said he was “designating people” from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela but did not provide further details.
In a further surprise, Trump suggested that US troops might be deployed, stating Washington is “not afraid of boots on the ground.”
Trump appeared to rule out Venezuela’s opposition assuming power, instead indicating he could work with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.
One clear motive appears to be Venezuela’s oil reserves. Trump said: “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies… go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure. We’ll be selling large amounts of oil.”
Trump dismisses opposition leader
US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, declared on social media that “the hour of freedom has arrived.” She called for the opposition’s 2024 election candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to “immediately” assume the presidency.
Trump, however, was critical of Machado’s chances, saying she lacks “support or respect” in Venezuela. Instead, he praised Rodriguez, claiming “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
Rodriguez rejected this, demanding Maduro’s release and pledging to “defend” the country. Late Saturday, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Rodriguez to assume presidential powers “in an acting capacity.”
Reflecting ongoing uncertainty, Trump indicated that US involvement is likely for the long haul, saying: “We’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place.”
Venezuela’s ally China condemned the operation, saying it “strongly condemns” the US action and calling for Maduro to be “immediately released.” China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry added, “The U.S.’s move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”
France warned that a solution cannot “be imposed from outside,” while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.”
At Venezuela’s request, the UN Security Council will meet Monday to discuss the crisis, the Somali presidency of the Council told AFP.
Blackout and bombing
Venezuelans had been bracing for the attack as US forces amassed off the coast for months. Residents in Caracas woke around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) to explosions and the whir of military helicopters. Air strikes targeted a major military base, an airbase, and other sites for nearly an hour.
The top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said 150 aircraft supported the operation, enabling troops to chopper in and seize Maduro with intelligence down to “what he ate” and what pets he kept. ” Maduro and his wife reportedly “gave up” without a struggle, and there was “no loss of US life,” he added.
Venezuelan authorities have yet to release casualty figures, but Trump told the New York Post that “many” Cubans in Maduro’s security detail were killed. Caracas fell eerily quiet in the hours following the raid, with police stationed outside public buildings and the smell of smoke in the streets.
Shifting justifications
The US and several European governments do not recognize Maduro’s legitimacy, citing stolen elections in 2018 and 2024. Maduro, in power since 2013, has long accused Trump of seeking regime change to control Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Trump has cited illegal migration, narcotics trafficking, and oil as reasons for his aggressive stance but had previously avoided openly calling for regime change.
Several members of Congress questioned the legality of the operation, though Trump’s key ally, House Republican leader Mike Johnson, called it “justified.”
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