Nicolas Maduro arrives in New York after capture, arraignment expected Monday

The U.S. military carried out a "large-scale strike" on Venezuela Saturday morning, capturing the nation's dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, who will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi. 

Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez's vice president, is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.

"It's just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There's nobody else could have done anything like it," Trump said of the operation.

The unsealed indictment focuses on how Maduro allegedly enriched himself and "political elites" by reportedly partnering with vicious gangs and drug cartels that have established syndicates across the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., such as New York. The indictment lists six individuals as defendants, including Maduro, his wife, his son and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. 

The indictment alleges that Maduro "sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking."

Several congressional Democrats have come out in force to condemn President Donald Trump’s operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, but one broke from the pack to applaud the action. 

"The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela's people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said on X. 

Wasserman Schultz, whose home state of Florida has harbored a significant number of Venezuelan refugees, continued that "Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. 

“My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation,” she said. “This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González."

While Wasserman Schultz’s praise of the Saturday strikes and subsequent capture of Maduro and his wife was markedly different in tone from her Democratic colleagues, some of whom dubbed it “unconstitutional, un-American and a direct threat to our democracy,” she still demanded answers as to why Congress was not notified of the operation beforehand. 

“The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Congress must be properly informed and hold hearings on this invasion. As always, I will work to bring about the promise of a liberated Venezuela.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a new statement Sunday accusing the United States of violating international law in response to the U.S. military's apprehension of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

“China expresses grave concern over the U.S. forcibly seizing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and taking them out of the country,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The U.S.’s move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

China called on the United States to ensure the safety of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and to “release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.”

The deposed Venezuelan dictator and his wife arrived late Saturday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being transported by helicopter from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Manhattan headquarters, following processing by federal authorities.

Maduro is expected to remain in federal custody while facing narcoterrorism and weapons charges filed in the Southern District of New York.

Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, said it will provide free internet access in Venezuela for the next month.

“Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity,” the company wrote on X on Saturday.

Musk reposted the announcement, adding, “In support of the people of Venezuela.”

The announcement came after the United States launched a large-scale operation in Venezuela on Saturday, with U.S. special forces capturing the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife.

The American Border Story, a national initiative that highlights the stories of families impacted by illegal activity at the border, praised President Donald Trump for ordering a U.S. military operation Saturday that led to the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In a video posted on X, the group featured families affected by crime and fentanyl who said the Trump administration's operation holds the Venezuelan dictator accountable and helps combat cartel-linked violence in the U.S.

“Thank you, President Trump, for your decisive action in Venezuela that will go down in history,” the group wrote on X. “We’re hearing directly from Angel families, fentanyl-affected families, American citizens, and border policy experts—calling, texting, thanking President Trump for capturing and holding Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro accountable.”

The group added that the Maduro regime’s “ties to drug cartels fueled deadly drugs and violent crime in American communities.”

Trump told Fox News on Saturday morning that the U.S. military operations in Venezuela are “saving lives because the drug trafficking is so bad” and have “gotten so out of control.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized the Trump administration on Saturday evening, calling the U.S. special operations mission that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife a “reckless decision.”

“The Administration’s reckless decision to strike Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro risks chaos, violence, and entrenching the United States in a conflict that the American people did not ask for,” Bass, a Democrat, wrote on X.

She added, “Los Angeles will continue to stand for peace, democracy, and diplomacy.”

Maduro and his wife arrived late Saturday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being transported by helicopter from the DEA’s Manhattan headquarters, following processing by federal authorities.

President Donald Trump said earlier Saturday that the United States is “going to run" Venezuela until what he described as a safe, proper and judicious transition can take place.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday evening that restrictions implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over Caribbean airspace would expire at 12 a.m. Eastern time.

“The original restrictions around the Caribbean airspace are expiring at 12:00am ET and flights can resume,” Duffy posted on X. “Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly. Please continue to work with your airline if your flight was affected by the restrictions.”

The FAA temporarily restricted airspace over parts of the Caribbean and Venezuela early Saturday in coordination with the Department of War to protect the flying public.

“Early this morning in support of the Department of War, the FAA restricted the airspace in the Caribbean and Venezuela to ensure the SAFETY of the flying public,” Duffy wrote in a prior X post, adding that the limits would be lifted “when appropriate.”

The FAA restrictions followed a U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife and fly them out of the country as part of “Operation Absolute Resolve.”

On the same day the U.S. military carried out an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, outgoing FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino completed his last day with the bureau.

“It was a busy last day on the job,” Bongino wrote on X.

Bongino announced on Dec. 17 that he was leaving the bureau in January.

“Tomorrow I return to civilian life,” he said. “It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President Trump. It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side.”

A federal source told Fox News Digital that the FBI handled the transport of the Venezuelan leader after he was captured, with the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team operating on the ground during the operation.

Florida Republican representatives Mario Díaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar said they believe María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has potential to rise as Nicolás Maduro’s successor following his capture Saturday by U.S. forces.

During a news conference, Salazar told reporters Machado proved with “empirical evidence” she won last year’s presidential primary election, despite the government’s declaration of Maduro as the victor.

Edmundo González Urrutia replaced Machado after she was banned from running for the presidency by the Maduro-run high court.

The U.S. recognized González as the legitimate leader of Venezuela after he defeated Maduro by a more than two-to-one margin.

“We also know that María Corina had been the person who won the primary, that the Venezuelans decided that she was going to be the elected nominee for the opposition party, and that Maduro decided that he didn't like her,” Salazar said.

“We know that there is an opposition that has been organized by María Corina and her party, and they are a very legitimate force inside Venezuela,” she continued. “So we are supporting her, and we're supporting everything that the opposition forces and the civil society decide to do.”

Díaz-Balart added he was “convinced” that the next democratically elected president of Venezuela will be Machado.

President Donald Trump on Saturday morning said Machado is “willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great.”

"She was quite gracious, but she really doesn't have a choice,” Trump said. “We're going to have this done right. … If we just left, it has zero chance of ever coming back. We'll run it properly. We'll run it professionally. We'll have the greatest oil companies in the world go in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money. Use that money in Venezuela. And the biggest beneficiary are going to be the people of Venezuela."

A small but vocal group of pro-Maduro demonstrators gathered outside the White House on Saturday, openly defending Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and condemning the Trump administration following his arrest on federal charges, according to exclusive interviews conducted by Fox News Digital.

“I want to free Maduro,” one protester said bluntly when asked why he traveled to the White House to demonstrate.

Other demonstrators argued the United States had no legal authority to arrest the Venezuelan leader, calling Maduro “the leader of a sovereign nation” and accusing Washington of using “imperial” justifications to intervene abroad.

The protester compared U.S. actions in Venezuela to past American interventions in Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria, arguing the United States “is never in the interest of humanity to invade” and should instead “keep the eagle at home.”

When pressed about longstanding allegations from human rights groups, including claims that Maduro’s government has jailed, tortured and killed political opponents, the protester did not dispute the accusations but argued they did not justify U.S. action.

“Let’s say all of these accusations are true,” he said. “The United States has never had a dictator it didn’t support. If Venezuela played ball with U.S. policy, Maduro could do whatever he wanted and no one would care.”

The demonstrator added that Washington selectively targets governments that oppose U.S. interests while tolerating or ignoring abuses by allied regimes, pointing to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern governments.

The group outside the White House was small, but demonstrators said their opposition to Maduro’s arrest was part of a broader movement that extends beyond Washington, D.C.

Similar pro-Maduro demonstrations have also been reported in New York City near the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where the ousted Venezuelan dictator is currently being held.

Asked about President Trump specifically, one protester said his opposition went beyond the current administration, arguing that U.S. foreign policy has remained largely unchanged across multiple presidencies.

“Nothing started with Donald Trump,” he said. “This is the United States doing the same things it has always done.”

Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday praised the operation carried out by the U.S. military and multiple intelligence agencies to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the “most successful” special operations raid of all time.

Speaking in an interview Saturday with CBS News, Hegseth said he met with some of the service members at Joint Base Andrews who participated in the mission, describing it as “the most sophisticated, most complicated and most successful joint special operations raid of all time.”

“Nothing of this size, scope, when you actually unpack what was done kinetically and non-kinetically, that many people, that many moving parts, that consequential – and they got the job done,” Hegseth said. “It is incredible to be able to serve such courageous, brave, and skilled Americans.”

Hegseth added that President Donald Trump gave the service members a “clear mission, and they finished it.”

The FBI handled the transport of deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro following his capture overseas, with the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team involved on the ground during the operation, a federal source tells Fox News Digital.

The source said the Hostage Rescue Team was part of the assault element during the operation in Venezuela that led to Maduro’s arrest.

After being taken into U.S. custody, Maduro was transported from Venezuela to Guantanamo Bay before being flown to New York.

Maduro is now in federal custody in New York, where he faces charges in the Southern District of New York including alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking offenses.

Federal officials have said Maduro is expected to be transferred to a federal detention facility ahead of an initial court appearance, which is anticipated early next week.

House Democrats are expected to hold an emergency caucus meeting on Sunday following the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, two sources confirmed to Fox News.

The virtual meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, according to the sources, and was first reported by Punchbowl News.

The move comes after several Democratic lawmakers said Saturday they were misled during recent Trump administration briefings that minimized any plans for regime change in Caracas, according to Reuters.

“Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change,” New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim posted to X. “I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress.”

Fox News' Kelly Phares and Tyler Olson contributed to this post.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Saturday called ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro a “brutal dictator,” while also raising concerns about what she described as the Trump administration’s “continued abuse of the rule of law.”

“Nicolás Maduro was a brutal dictator who caused the people of Venezuela pain and suffering. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Venezuela here in New York and abroad,” James posted on X. “But I also believe in the Constitution. As such, I am deeply concerned with the administration’s continued abuse of the rule of law.”

Earlier Saturday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the capture of the Venezuelan leader as an “act of war and a violation of federal and international law.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday evening condemned the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, calling the operation both “unlawful” and “unwise.”

In a lengthy post on X, Harris acknowledged that Maduro is a “brutal” and “illegitimate” dictator but said that President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.”

"We’ve seen this movie before. Wars for regime change or oil that are sold as strength but turn into chaos, and American families pay the price," she said.

Harris also argued the decision was motivated by oil interests rather than efforts to combat drug trafficking or promote democracy.

“The American people do not want this, and they are tired of being lied to. This is not about drugs or democracy. It is about oil and Donald Trump’s desire to play the regional strongman,” she said. "If he cared about either, he wouldn’t pardon a convicted drug trafficker or sideline Venezuela’s legitimate opposition while pursuing deals with Maduro’s cronies."

She also accused the president of endangering U.S. troops and destabilizing the region.

"The President is putting troops at risk, spending billions, destabilizing a region, and offering no legal authority, no exit plan, and no benefit at home. America needs leadership whose priorities are lowering costs for working families, enforcing the rule of law, strengthening alliances, and — most importantly — putting the American people first.”

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey reacted to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, saying his state has buried "far too many sons and daughters" due to lethal drugs.

"I applaud President Donald Trump and his national security team for taking decisive action to hold Nicolás Maduro accountable," Morrisey wrote in a social media post. "A global narco-terrorist, Nicolás Maduro has enabled drug trafficking operations that have fueled violence, addiction, and death across the United States, including here in West Virginia."

The governor said the trafficking networks have pushed deadly narcotics into West Virginia communities and torn apart "too many families."

"West Virginia has buried far too many sons and daughters lost to fentanyl and other lethal drugs," he wrote in the post. "Actions that disrupt the global supply chains responsible for that suffering are a step toward protecting our people, and sending a clear message that those who profit from poisoning Americans will be held to account."

GOP lawmakers said President Donald Trump will be turning his attention to two other tyrannies following the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., said during a news conference Saturday tyrannies in Cuba and Nicaragua would not survive the Trump administration.

"The first of those tyrannies has not survived President Trump," Díaz-Balart said. "The next two, their days are also counted."

He added the administration has placed "very strong pressure" on the dictatorship in Havana, promising "you're going to see more."

"I am convinced that the two remaining ones will not survive the last three years of the President Trump administration," Díaz-Balart said.