State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela
The warning came amid reports of armed militias.
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
- President Trump says Cuba needs to make deal with US 'before it is too late'
- Venezuela 'in absolute calm,' ministry says in reaction to US alert
- State Department warns US citizens to leave Venezuela immediately
- US State Department officials arrive in Caracas
- US forces board another oil tanker linked to Venezuela
Photos show handcuffed Maduro escorted by DEA administrator
Photos obtained by ABC News show a handcuffed Nicolas Maduro being escorted by Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole and other federal agents after landing in New York on Saturday.
After arriving at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, Maduro was taken by helicopter to New York City and then to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Maduro, who was captured in Venezuela early Saturday morning along with his wife Cilia Flores, is facing federal narco-terrorism charges in the U.S.
Maduro en route to Brooklyn detention center, his wife also in NY: Sources
Nicolas Maduro's wife Cilia Flores, is also in U.S. custody in New York, sources familiar with the matter said.
Shortly before 9 p.m., Maduro was on his way to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, where he will be held.
-ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Luke Barr and Katherine Faulders
Photos appear to show Maduro being escorted from plane in New York
Photos and videos appeared to show Maduro being escorted by agents from a plane after it landed outside New York City.
Maduro was expected to be flown into the city by helicopter and expected to be processed on federal charges and detained in a federal jail as he awaits trial.
'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.
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