Trump Sends U.S. Forces Into Venezuela, Captures President Maduro and Declares U.S. Will Run Country

U.S. forces carried out a major operation early Saturday that, according to multiple Western outlets, resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and their removal from Caracas by U.S. helicopter.

“He said he was not "afraid" of using American troops on the ground in Venezuela”

ABC News

They were reportedly taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima, flown to Guantánamo Bay, and then transferred to New York, where they are held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

ABC News

U.S. officials, including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, said the pair have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and importation of cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and related conspiracies.

President Donald Trump said the United States would 'run' Venezuela during a transition, framed the operation in law-enforcement terms, and promised oversight of the political transition.

The immediate aftermath included a Venezuelan national state of emergency and international denunciations of U.S. military action.

President Trump framed the operation both as an enforcement action against indicted narcotics fugitives and as a prelude to securing Venezuela's oil assets.

Several outlets document Trump's explicit oil-focused language: he said the U.S. would "run" Venezuela, bring in large U.S. oil companies to rebuild damaged infrastructure and "take out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground."

Al Jazeera

Allies like Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the goal in geopolitical terms — to prevent rivals such as Russia, China and Iran from controlling Venezuelan oil.

Analysts quoted in multiple reports caution that legal, logistical and political obstacles make any U.S. control of Venezuelan oil complex and contested under international law.

The legal and diplomatic fallout was immediate and contested.

“The US will "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper and judicious transition" can be ensured, Donald Trump has said, after US strikes led to the capture of country's President Nicolas Maduro”

BBC

BBC and ABC report that the U.S. announced indictments and framed parts of the operation as law enforcement, while Venezuelan authorities declared a national state of emergency and denounced the action as "military aggression."

U.S. domestic reaction was mixed to critical, with ABC noting comments from both critics and supporters in Congress.

Fortune and CNN report that U.S. officials have left some Maduro-era lieutenants in place while insisting the United States retains "optionality," including the possibility of further force.

International actors such as Russia and Cuba condemned the strike and called for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty, increasing the risk of wider diplomatic confrontation.

Reports diverge on the human toll and the effect on Venezuela's internal power structures.

Al Jazeera and The Guardian report the U.S. strikes killed civilians and say the operation so far haven't produced a major change in Venezuela's power structure.

CBC

Both outlets note Venezuela's Supreme Court and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez moved to ensure continuity of government.

CNN similarly records that the country's Supreme Court installed Delcy Rodríguez as interim president and that she oversees PDVSA, giving her substantial control over oil and economic decisions.

Other outlets focus more on the international and legal ramifications than immediate casualty figures, creating variance in coverage of the human cost versus geopolitical calculations.

Analysts and energy specialists highlight deep practical obstacles to quickly restoring Venezuelan oil output or transferring control to U.S. firms.

“In this article PresidentDonald Trumpmade clear Saturday that U”

CNBC

Multiple outlets note Venezuela’s vast proven reserves are around 300-303 billion barrels but also long declines in output from mismanagement, nationalization and sanctions.

CNBC

Al Jazeera and CBC detail how sanctions since 2017 and restrictions on diluents and shipping helped cut exports from roughly 950,000 bpd to about 500,000 bpd in recent reports.

Economist Francisco Rodríguez, quoted by Al Jazeera, warns that output could be raised with investment but that pushing political change before economic restoration risks chaos.

Other outlets such as NPR, The Guardian and Fortune emphasize major legal, reputational and logistical barriers and note that many international oil firms remain wary after past expropriations and losses.