Maduro Held in New York as March 17 Court Date Looms, Venezuela Demands Release

Two months after US special forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his compound in Caracas, the former socialist leader sits in a federal detention facility in New York, awaiting the next critical courtroom battle. With a March 17 hearing days away, global pressure on Washington to release Maduro continues to intensify even as prosecutors prepare a narco-terrorism case of historic proportions.

Operation Absolute Resolve: How the US Captured Maduro

On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a military strike in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The US operation, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, began around 2 a.m. local time, when explosions were observed across Caracas. US Armed Forces bombed infrastructure across northern Venezuela to suppress air defenses as an apprehension force attacked Maduro's compound.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said that US combat helicopters fired rockets and missiles in urban areas, and that most of Maduro's personal guard were killed during the attack. The New York Times reported that at least 80 people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed. Maduro and Flores were flown directly to New York to face a federal indictment that had been sealed since 2020.

Maduro Pleads Not Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court

Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to all charges during their arraignment in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The new indictment alleges narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and two weapons charges. Maduro is charged with all four crimes, while Flores faces cocaine importation and the weapons counts.

Handcuffed and wearing blue jail uniforms, Maduro and his wife were led into the court by officers and put on headsets to hear the English-language proceedings translated into Spanish. Maduro addressed the court directly, declaring he was the legitimate president of Venezuela, that he had been kidnapped, and that he was a prisoner of war. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein cut him off, saying the legal sufficiency of what occurred would be addressed later.

March 17 Hearing Could Decide Whether Trial Can Proceed

The next court proceeding is set for March 17. Maduro is represented by lawyer Barry Pollack, who previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Cilia Flores is represented by lawyer Mark Donnelly. In February 2026, Argentine federal judge Sebastián Ramos also signed a warrant for Maduro on crimes against humanity charges, including torture, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance.

Maduro's defense is expected to challenge the court's jurisdiction on multiple grounds. Chief among them is whether Maduro is entitled to head-of-state immunity as a sitting president — a question complicated by the United States' non-recognition of his government. The case will be evaluated under US domestic law, even though international law standards on immunity exist. If convicted on all counts, Maduro faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years on the narco-terrorism charge alone, with a maximum of life imprisonment.

Venezuela Passes Amnesty Law as Interim President Delcy Rodríguez Consolidates Power

Venezuela has begun a process of reconciliation following the US operation. The country recently approved the 2026 Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, which was signed and could free hundreds of people jailed over protests and political unrest dating back decades. This week alone, the law granted amnesty to 379 political prisoners — a considerable shift for a country that had long denied holding any political prisoners.

Trump expressed a lack of confidence in opposition leader María Corina Machado and suggested he would instead partner with Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodríguez, who was officially sworn in as interim president by her brother, Jorge, the head of the National Assembly. Rodríguez has shifted toward a more conciliatory tone with Washington, while Foreign Minister Yvan Gil has maintained a harsher line of condemnation at the United Nations.

Global Condemnation Mounts as Venezuela Demands Maduro Release

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, demanding Maduro's immediate release by the US government, alongside his wife Cilia Flores. Gil described Venezuela's situation as the result of a systematic campaign and said the country is not in a state of war, despite suffering what he called a decade of US attacks through blockades and sanctions.

The UN Security Council convened at the request of China, Colombia, and Russia. Representatives of Moscow and Beijing called for the immediate release of Maduro and stressed the inviolability of head-of-state immunity under international law. The US ambassador rejected characterizations of the operation as military aggression, framing it instead as a targeted law-enforcement measure to arrest an indicted fugitive. The case against Maduro has drawn comparisons to the 1989 US capture of Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, who unsuccessfully argued sovereign immunity before being convicted and imprisoned.