Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, demanding the immediate release of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, who she said was arrested by U.S. special forces.
On the 3rd (local time), major foreign media reported that U.S. President Donald Trump announced that President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were being held on the U.S. Navy ship Iwo Jima. They are set to appear in a New York court on drug trafficking charges. At a news conference at the Mar-a-Lago resort, President Trump said he planned to personally lead an interim leadership for Venezuela.
At a National Defense Council meeting, Vice President Rodríguez called the incident a kidnapping and a violation of international law. Rodríguez said, "Maduro is the only president," declared a "foreign state of emergency," and asked for Supreme Court approval. She urged the public to defend the nation and appealed for support from Latin American countries.
However, the Trump administration said Vice President Rodríguez and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken and that the vice president said there was "a willingness to cooperate." Trump added that day that "the vice president is willing to do what is necessary." But the same day, Vice President Rodríguez appeared on local television, took a hard line, and flatly refuted that account.
Experts say the United States applied domestic law to arrest the head of a sovereign state, an unprecedented hard-line move. With President Maduro transferred to New York, the consolidation of pro-government forces and the military's moves in Venezuela have emerged as key variables.
The Washington Post said, "This operation is the most extreme measure in the Trump administration's Latin America policy." A Human Rights Watch official noted, "Regardless of proving Maduro's charges, the sovereignty infringement controversy will be hard to avoid criticism from the international community."
Venezuela is expected to continue a strong anti-U.S. fight under acting leadership by Vice President Rodríguez. Coupled with the U.S. plan to form an interim leadership, the risk of physical clashes over a change of government cannot be ruled out. The Washington Post reported that the international community is closely watching the situation, fearing it could spread instability across South America.