U.S. forces capture Maduro; President Donald Trump confirms

United States forces successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a military operation in Caracas on January 3, 2026.

“Venezuelans across the globe took to the streets after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, whose rule was marked by economic collapse and mass migration out of the oil-rich nation”

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President Donald Trump confirmed the capture during a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

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The operation came amid months of Caribbean naval operations targeting narcotrafficking and followed allegations that Maduro leads the 'Cartel de los Soles.'

The capture represents a dramatic escalation in U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

This occurred after last year's presidential election which was widely criticized by opposition groups and international observers as stolen.

Opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, internationally recognized as the president-elect, had previously been forced into exile due to the alleged election rigging.

Venezuelan exiles in South Florida erupted in celebrations following news of Maduro's capture, with hundreds gathering outside El Arepazo in Doral to express their joy and relief.

Personal stories of suffering under Maduro's regime were prominently shared, including Irasel Carpavirez, a 55-year-old former lawyer who has lived in the U.S. for about 10 years.

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Carpavirez is now a permanent resident in the process of obtaining citizenship and declared 'I think this is the moment to return to Venezuela and rebuild.'

She expressed hope to end deaths, political imprisonments and family separations.

Liz Vivas, 39, cried when mentioning her husband Wilmer Muñoz, a Venezuelan government critic who disappeared in July 2018.

Vivas stated 'I could not bury him, I could not see him' and feeling that 'justice has been done' with the 'fall of Maduro.'

President Trump confirmed the capture and declared that the United States will 'lead' Venezuela until a 'safe' and 'peaceful' transition is made.

“Venezuelans in South Florida awoke Saturday to long-awaited, welcome news: Nicolás Maduro had been captured in the middle of the night by U”

Miami Herald

His statement that 'We are going to run [Venezuela] essentially until such time as a proper transition can take place' turned celebration into concern for some.

Jorge Landaeta, a 50-year-old Doral resident, condemned what he called 'the occupation of Venezuela without euphemisms.'

Landaeta stated 'He has announced the occupation of Venezuela without euphemisms, he said it clearly and bluntly: 'We are going to sell its oil'.'

He called it 'an outrage that a foreign government is returning to the politics of colonialism' and 'a threat to the world.'

Despite his concerns, Landaeta acknowledged reason to celebrate Maduro's ouster, saying 'Venezuela changed jailer, from Cuba and Russia to the U.S.'

The capture has left significant uncertainties about Venezuela's political future and who will lead the country through transition.

Under Venezuela's constitution, the vice president would assume power in the event of a president's resignation, death, or removal.

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Vice President Delcy Rodríguez remains in Venezuela and has publicly demanded proof of life for Maduro and his wife.

Edmundo González Urrutia, the presumptive winner of the presidential elections in July 2024, remains in exile in Spain.

Opposition leader María Corina Machado is in Europe after having received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rafael Pineyro, a Venezuelan-American city councilman in Doral, supported the U.S. action as 'a measured step to confront tyranny, protect regional stability, and support those who have suffered in silence for far too long.'