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ABC News

State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela

PHOTO: VENEZUELA-US-CONFLICT-CRISIS-PRISON
6:06
Pedro Mattey/AFP via Getty Images
Trump lays out foreign policy priorities: Venezuela, Greenland
By Ivan Pereira, Mary Kekatos, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, David Brennan, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: January 6, 2026, 4:24 PM

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

  • President Trump says Cuba needs to make deal with US 'before it is too late'
  • Venezuela 'in absolute calm,' ministry says in reaction to US alert
  • State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela immediately
  • US State Department officials arrive in Caracas
  • US forces board another oil tanker linked to Venezuela
Here's how the news is developing.

Jan 06, 2026 4:24 PM

'Our president is legitimate,' Colombian foreign minister says

Colombia’s Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said she will be meeting with John McNamara, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Colombia, to directly address the threats and allegations made against the Colombian President Gustavo Petro by U.S. President Donald Trump this week.

“Our president is the democratically elected president. The president is legitimate, and the leader of the security forces of the state,” Villavicencio said.

Colombia will support a resolution in the United Nations Security Council in the coming days that condemns the actions of the Trump administration in Venezuela, Villavicencio said.

The Colombian Foreign Minister pledged to utilize and coordinate through the CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States which is a regional bloc of Latin American and Caribbean states, to condemn the U.S. actions in Venezuela.

Villavicencio said the Colombian Embassy maintains direct communication with the State Department regarding the situation in Venezuela. Villavicencio maintains that they continue to have dialogue with the U.S.

-ABC News' Ismario Rodriguez Perez and Othon Leyva


Jan 06, 2026 2:47 PM

Raid in Venezuela to get Maduro was 'law enforcement operation,' attorney general says

The raid in Venezuela to arrest Nicolas Maduro was a "law enforcement operation" and "well within the President's article two powers," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an interview with Sean Hannity.

Bondi's comments come as President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is going to run the country.

Trump on Sunday night doubled down on his assertion that the U.S. was "in charge" of the South American nation, after first proclaiming on Saturday the U.S. would "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition."

Bondi said the operation was "flawless" and that Maduro and his wife are charged with "directing the murders, kidnappings, assaults of anyone who stood in their way and also anyone who tried to stop their drug business. They are also charged with bringing tons of drugs into this country. "

-ABC News' Luke Barr


Jan 06, 2026 2:45 PM

Venezuela appoints new head of presidential security

A new head of security for Venezuela’s executive branch has been appointed by Delcy Rodriguez, the new interim president of Venezuela, through a decree published Tuesday, according to state-run media.

Gustavo Enrique Gonzalez Lopez is the new commander of the Presidential Honor Guard charged with protecting the national executive, according to multiple reports.

Gonzalez Lopez was previously the director general of Venezuela’s Intelligence Service and is under sanction in several countries including the U.S., according to the Treasure Department's sanctions list.

He replaces Major General Javier José Marcano Tábata, who took office in October 2024, according to state-run media.

-ABC News' Ismario Rodriguez Perez



Jan 06, 2026 3:34 AM

Maria Corina Machado says she's planning to return to Venezuela after Maduro's ousting

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said in an interview on Fox News on Monday night that she is planning on returning to Venezuela "as soon as possible" following the removal of Nicolas Maduro.

Machado, 58, has been living in hiding since the last disputed election in Venezuela against Maduro.

She praised President Donald Trump, saying he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, after she was awarded it last year.

It comes after Trump on Saturday said Machado didn't have the "respect" to govern the country.

"I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect," Trump said.


Jan 04, 2026 6:53 PM

Joint statement details DOJ interagency effort to capture Maduro

The operation to capture and bring Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to the U.S. took months of planning with the Department of Defense, according to a joint statement from the agency and the Justice Department, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

"Specialized FBI and DEA personnel, including tactical and transport teams, worked alongside DOW and our DOJ attorneys and other DOJ components to ensure the secure movement, control, and transfer of 2 high-risk defendants," the statement says, in part. "All personnel involved acted professionally, decisively, and in strict accordance with U.S. law and established protocols."

PHOTO: VENEZUELA-US-CONFLICT-CRISIS
Str/AFP via Getty Images
Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on January 3, 2026. The United States military was behind a series of strikes against the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, US media reported. The White House and Pentagon have not commented on the explosions and reports of aircraft over the city. US media outlets CBS News and Fox News reported unnamed Trump administration officials confirming that US forces were involved.
Str/AFP via Getty Images

The statement further says the United States "pursued every lawful option to resolve this matter peacefully. Those opportunities were repeatedly rejected. The responsibility for this outcome rests solely with those who chose to continue criminal conduct rather than disengage."

"The mission was conducted to support an ongoing criminal prosecution tied to large-scale narcotics trafficking and related offenses that have fueled violence, destabilized the region, and contributed directly to the drug crisis claiming American lives," according to the statement.

-ABC News' Luke Barr


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