U.S. Declares Maduro Under Arrest, to Be Tried on U.S. Soil

Trump Detains Maduro in His Country and Brings Him to Trial Under Global Scrutiny

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is now “under arrest” and will face trial on United States soil for undisclosed crimes, following a dawn‑time military operation carried out by the US Army on Venezuelan territory.

Republican Senator from Utah, Mike Lee, posted on his personal X account that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had just informed him of the president’s situation: Maduro was “captured” early this morning and removed from the country together with his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, as announced by US President Donald Trump.

“Marco Rubio told me that Maduro has been arrested by US personnel to be tried on criminal charges in the United States,” Lee wrote, adding that the US airstrikes were carried out “to protect and defend those who executed the arrest order,” without providing further details.

The “capture” of Maduro and the US strikes have dramatically escalated the already high diplomatic and military tension between the two nations. It recalls Trump’s earlier orders to deploy naval combat ships off Venezuela’s coast, seize oil tankers departing from its ports, and openly threaten attacks on Venezuelan territory under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking.

Lee also noted that the Secretary of State “does not anticipate further actions in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody,” and that no information on the health of the couple was disclosed during the call.

Amid criticism from Democratic senators over the legality of the operation, Lee argued that the raid “probably falls within the inherent authority of the President, according to Article II of the Constitution, to protect US personnel from a real or imminent attack.”

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau weighed in as well:

“The tyrant is gone,” Landau declared, describing the event as “a new dawn for Venezuela.”
“Now, finally, he will face justice for his crimes.”

The development marks a dramatic shift in US‑Venezuela relations, with the world watching how the legal proceedings will unfold on American soil.