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."
The Swiss government said Monday it has decided to freeze any assets held in Switzerland by Nicolás Maduro and his associates, effective immediately.
"The Federal Council wants to ensure that any illicitly acquired assets cannot be transferred out of Switzerland in the current situation," the government said in a press release.
The freeze does not affect members of the current Venezuelan government, the Swiss government said.
Jan 05, 2026, 4:27 PM EST
Several UN ambassadors criticize US intervention in Venezuela
Multiple ambassadors to the United Nations criticized the United States' intervention in Venezuela during an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on Monday, questioning the legality of the operation.
The representative of Venezuela called the operation an "illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification" and said the "kidnapping" of Maduro is "of particular seriousness." The representative suggested that the U.S. carried out its operation on Venezuela because of its natural resources.
The representatives of Colombia, France, Denmark, Russia and Iran were among those who also criticized the military action. The representative of France said it "runs counter to the principle of peaceful dispute resolution," while the Russian ambassador called it a "criminal operation."
In a statement to the security council delivered during the meeting, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres additionally expressed concern that the U.S.' military action in Venezuela did not respect international law and said he was "deeply concerned" about its potential impact on the region and the precedent it may set.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz defended the action during the meeting, saying that the U.S. "will not waver in our actions to protect Americans from the scourge of narco-terrorism and seeks peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela."
-ABC News' Mike Pappano
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."
