- - What’s next for Maduro, Venezuela after US capture sparks global debate?

January 5, 2026 at 6:36 PM

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (Matias Delacroix/AP)

Lawmakers returning to the U.S. Capitol this week are asking what is next for Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela and its people following the Venezuelan leader’s capture in a weekend U.S. military operation. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is “in charge” of the country, but it remains unclear what that means.

Maduro is expected to make his first court appearance Monday in New York City, facing charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation and machine gun possession.

In a joint statement Sunday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the operation to apprehend Maduro “required months of coordination, detailed planning, and seamless execution across multiple components of the federal government.”

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“The mission was conducted to support an ongoing criminal prosecution tied to large-scale narcotics trafficking and related offenses that have fueled violence, destabilized the region, and contributed directly to the drug crisis claiming American lives,” Bondi added.

President Donald Trump announced Maduro’s capture Saturday morning following the overnight operation. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, now serving as acting president, called the arrest “barbaric” and demanded his immediate release.

Trump issued a warning to Rodriguez in an interview with The Atlantic.

“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” he said.

Democratic lawmakers are questioning Trump’s remarks that the United States will “run” Venezuela for now, raising concerns about potential costs to American taxpayers and whether a long-term U.S. military presence is planned in the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended Maduro's capture, but said the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela and rejected the notion that the U.S. plans to take over the country.

RELATED STORY | 'We are going to run the country,' Trump declares after capturing Venezuela's Maduro

"Here's the bottom line on it: we expect to see changes in Venezuela," Rubio said in a weekend interview. "Changes of all kinds — long-term and short-term — we'd love to see all kinds of changes. But the most immediate changes are the ones that are in the national interest of the United States. That's why we're involved here — because of how it applies and has a direct impact on the United States."

Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the officials expected to provide a classified briefing on the matter to lawmakers Monday evening.

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Source: “AOL General News”