A dramatic military operation by the United States has plunged Venezuela into turmoil and ignited a wave of protests across American cities. Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a raid on the presidential palace in Caracas on Saturday, an action ordered by President Trump.
From Palace to Prison: Maduro's Dramatic Court Appearance
The captured leader made his first court appearance on Monday afternoon at a federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York. Wearing dark prison attire and translation headphones, Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism. He told Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein that he had been 'kidnapped' by the US and insisted he remained the legitimate president of Venezuela, a statement the judge cut short.
Maduro and his wife are currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The raid, reportedly carried out by Delta Force operatives, was accompanied by a large-scale US airstrike in Caracas. A source informed The New York Times that the strike resulted in the deaths of around 40 Venezuelan civilians and military personnel. While no US fatalities were reported, an undisclosed number of American troops sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
"Free Maduro": A New Protest Movement Sweeps the US
The arrest has triggered significant public demonstrations, with protesters adopting tactics reminiscent of recent pro-Palestine rallies. Crowds have gathered in New York City, Oregon, Washington State, Minnesota, Illinois, and outside the White House in Washington D.C., chanting "Free Maduro" and condemning the US intervention.
In Chicago, activist Andy Thayer of the Chicago Committee Against War and Racism criticised the historical pattern of US intervention, while Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez labelled the raid an 'open violation of international and U.S. law'. Similar scenes unfolded in Seattle, organised by the ANSWER Coalition, where signs read 'Stop Bombing Venezuela Now' and 'No Blood for Oil'.
This sentiment was echoed by protestor Taylor Young in Seattle, who stated they were demonstrating to show solidarity against a violation of Venezuela's sovereignty funded by American tax dollars.
Political Fallout and Venezuela's Uncertain Future
The operation has sharply divided opinion. While many within the Venezuelan diaspora celebrated the arrest of a leader they blame for a catastrophic national crisis, others decry it as an illegal act of war. More than eight million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014 due to violence, hyperinflation, and shortages under Maduro's rule, creating one of the world's worst displacement crises.
President Trump has framed the intervention around Venezuela's vast oil reserves, suggesting they would fund the country's revival and that the US would govern indefinitely. This has led to accusations from US lawmakers that the primary motive is economic gain. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, sworn in as interim president, has demanded Maduro's 'immediate release', calling the arrest an atrocity and hinting at resistance to US administration plans.
As legal proceedings against Maduro begin in New York, the political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela remains deeply uncertain, with the US now directly entangled in the nation's fate.
