State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela

The warning came amid reports of armed militias.

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."

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

Jan 03, 2026, 6:23 PM EST

US attack sparks some protests

Some protests were reported in the U.S. and other countries following the attack.

In New York City's Times Square, crowds mustered with signs urging the U.S. to stay out of Venezuela.

People protest against the U.S. strikes on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, during an anti-war rally in Times Square in New York, Jan. 3, 2026.
Jeenah Moon/Reuters

A similar crowd also demonstrated outside of the White House.

Meanwhile, in Doral in South Florida, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S., people gathered in the street to cheer Maduro's capture, dancing and waving Venezuelan flags. 

PHOTO: US-VENEZUELA-CONFLICT-MADURO
People react to the news of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, after US military actions in Venezuela this morning, in Doral, Florida, near Miami, on January 3, 2026. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived Saturday evening at a military base in the United States after his capture by US forces in Caracas. Maduro was seen surrounded by FBI agents as he descended the boarding stairs of a US government plane at a New York state National Guard facility, and was slowly escorted along the tarmac.
Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

Elsewhere around the world, protesters in Paris burned the American flag and waved "boycott the U.S." signs. Demonstrators in Athens also burned American flags. 

In Colombia, protesters demonstrated in front of the U.S. embassy while in In Buenos Aires, a banner was tacked up reading "Trump, your drug is oil."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaulé

Jan 03, 2026, 4:46 PM EST

Maduro lands in New York: Sources

The aircraft believed to be carrying Nicolas Maduro has touched down at Stewart Airport in Orange County, New York, Saturday afternoon, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Maduro is now expected to take a helicopter to New York City, accompanied by the DEA. He will then head by motorcade to a location in New York City for processing before he's held in jail, sources said.

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

Jan 03, 2026, 4:10 PM EST

Venezuelan vice president demands Maduro's return, vows to 'defend great homeland'

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addressed the nation on state television for the first time since President Nicolas Maduro's removal and demanded his release.

Rodriguez said Maduro was the only president of Venezuela and slammed the U.S. for its early morning strike.

In this Aug. 11, 2025, file photo, Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks during a press conference in Caracas.
Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

"We had already warned that an aggression was underway under false excuses, under false pretexts, and that the masks had fallen and it had only one objective: regime change in Venezuela — and the capture of our energy, mineral, and natural resources," she said in Spanish.

Rodriguez also warned that "the people have mobilized"

"If something were to happen to him, the people must go to the streets, the armed forces must deploy across the country, and all institutions must activate — to defend what we are, as sons and daughters of Simon Bolivar," she said.

Supporters of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gather in the streets of Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026, after US forces captured him.
Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images

"We ride to defend the great homeland," she added.

-ABC News' Dada Jovanovic and Victoria Beaule

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