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, 12:31 PM EST

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said action was Operation Absolute Resolve

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the operation in Venezuela was known as Operation Absolute Resolve and involved more than 150 aircraft across the Western Hemisphere.

Caine said it was the "culmination of months of planning and rehearsal" adding that the operation could only have been conducted by the U.S. military.

PHOTO: General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks as President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stand behind him during a press conference following a U.S. strike on Venezuela where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 3, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

"Maduro and his wife, both indicted, gave up and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, assisted by our incredible U.S. military with professionalism and precision, with no loss of U.S. life," Caine said.

Jan 03, 2026, 12:24 PM EST

'We're going to be running it with a group': Trump

Trump was asked by a reporter who was running Venezuela now.

"Well, we're going to be running it with a group, and we're going to make sure it's run properly," he responded.

President Donald Trump addresses the media during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

When asked about troops on the ground, the president said, "We're not afraid of boots on the ground."

Trump said he was going to designate some people as part of the plan but did not give any specifics.

"We're going to run the country right," Trump added.

Jan 03, 2026, 12:24 PM EST

Rubio says Maduro had 'multiple opportunities to avoid this'

Rubio spoke about the years of prosecution and international action against the Maduro government.

PHOTO: Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press, following US military actions in Venezuela, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press, alongside White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, following US military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 3, 2026.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

"I want to be clear about one thing, Nicolas Maduro had multiple opportunities to avoid this," he said. "He was provided multiple very, very, very generous offers, and chose instead to act like a wild man."

Jan 03, 2026, 12:17 PM EST

Hegseth praises US action in Venezuela

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the U.S. operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

He also praised Trump's leadership and praised the actions as "America first."

"As the President said, our adversaries remain on notice. America can project our will anywhere, anytime," Hegseth said.

"President Trump is deadly serious about stopping the flow of gangs and violence to our country, deadly serious about stopping the flow of drugs and poison to our people, deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us and deadly serious about reestablishing American deterrence and dominance in the Western Hemisphere," he added.

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