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

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State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela immediately
Jan 09, 2026, 11:13 AM EST
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Here's how the news is developing.

Jan 05, 2026, 3:51 PM EST

Deportation flights to Venezuela have not been suspended: DHS

Deportation flights to Venezuela have not been suspended in the wake of Nicolas Maduro's capture, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News on Monday.

DHS did not say if there have been any removals since Saturday, though ICE Flight Monitor -- a nonprofit that tracks deportation flights -- told ABC News that no flights have departed for Venezuela since Dec. 12.

Earlier Monday, DHS said in a post on X that the more than 500,000 Venezuelans whose Temporary Protected Status was canceled can now "go home to a country that they love."

-ABC News' Laura Romero

Jan 05, 2026, 3:42 PM EST

Thune says he does not believe Congress had to authorize action in Venezuela

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he felt "sufficiently notified" about the administration's actions in Venezuela over the weekend.

"The night it happened I heard about it," Thune told a group of reporters on Monday, though he confirmed that he learned about it after the action began.

"I understand, for a lot of reasons, why you can't ... broadcast far and wide to members of Congress an action in advance," he said.

"We'll get more, hopefully, information from the White House," Thune continued, noting that an all-senators briefing has been requested.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune talks to reporters before heading into the Senate Chamber, January 05, 2026 in Washington.
Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Thune told ABC News he does not believe that Congress needed to authorize the actions that were taken.

"No, no," he said when asked if congressional authorization was required.

Asked to respond to critics who say that the actions were not in keeping with President Donald Trump's "America first" campaign promise, Thune responded, "I think America first is protecting American interest and obviously there is a huge American equity in trying to keep drugs from coming across our southern border."

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Jan 05, 2026, 3:33 PM EST

Hegseth says Maduro didn't know troops were coming 'until 3 minutes before they arrived'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described in more detail the U.S. military operation in Venezuela , saying Nicolas Maduro and his wife did not know that U.S. troops were coming "until three minutes before they arrived."

"Nicolas Maduro got to meet some great Americans wearing night vision goggles three nights ago," Hegseth said Monday in his remarks before sailors in Newport News, Virginia. "He didn't know they were coming till three minutes before they arrived. In fact, his wife said, 'I think I hear aircraft outside.'"

He went on, "They didn't know. You know why? Because every single part of that chain did their job, and they did it flawlessly, and they did it protecting operational security, and they did it with a commitment to one thing, the mission, to getting that mission accomplished."

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Jan 05, 2026, 3:02 PM EST

Nearly 200 American forces were in Caracas for operation: Hegseth

Nearly 200 American forces were in downtown in Venezuela for the military operation involving Nicolas Maduro, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"Seems those Russian air defenses didn't quite work so well, did they?" Hegseth said Monday in remarks before an audience of sailors and civilians in Newport News, Virginia.