Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have been captured and brought to the United States, where they are scheduled to appear in federal court at noon on Monday, a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York confirmed
President Trump, speaking at a Saturday press conference, said the U.S. would temporarily “run” Venezuela during the transition and “get the oil flowing,” adding on Sunday that the U.S. was “in charge” of the country.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified on Sunday that the U.S. does not intend to directly govern Venezuela, but will maintain an “oil quarantine” as part of efforts to influence policy.
Maduro and his wife arrived in New York on Saturday, hours after being captured in Caracas during a U.S. military operation. They are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and will face federal charges related to drug trafficking and collaborating with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, charges Maduro denies.
Officials told CBS News that the operation to capture Maduro was carried out by the U.S. Army’s Delta Force, an elite special forces unit. The mission came after months of U.S. military buildup in the region, which included positioning the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and several other warships in the Caribbean, along with a series of strikes on over 30 vessels the administration said were transporting drugs.
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