Hundreds rally in New York against US actions toward Venezuela

Several hundred demonstrators gathered in New York’s main square, Times Square, to protest against U.S. military actions toward Venezuela, a correspondent of the Russian state news agency TASS reports from the scene.

The protesters carried Venezuelan flags and placards reading “Hands off Venezuela!”, “Stop bombing Venezuela!”, "No blood for oil" and “U.S. out of the Caribbean!”

“The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is a provocation, a war crime, and unacceptable aggression,” one protester said. “It is an attack on the Venezuelan people and on the sovereignty of all Latin America.”

Police presence in the area has been reinforced; however, law enforcement officers have not blocked streets or interfered with the demonstration. The situation at the scene remains calm.

The rally follows President Trump's announcement of the strikes and Venezuelan President Maduro's transfer to New York for prosecution on longstanding drug-trafficking charges.

On January 3, 2026, in a predawn operation involving large-scale U.S. airstrikes on military targets in Caracas and surrounding areas—including Fuerte Tiuna base, La Carlota airport, La Guaira port, and other facilities—the United States conducted a precision raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their residence. Afterwards, elite Delta Force units extracted them and transported the couple aboard the USS Iwo Jima en route to face trial in New York's Southern District on a superseding indictment unsealed that day, expanding 2020 charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and related offences tied to allegations of leading the Cartel de los Soles. 

Trump, announcing the action via Truth Social and a Mar-a-Lago press conference, described it as a brilliant enforcement of justice against a narco-state leader who rigged the 2024 election and fueled migration and drug crises, while stating the U.S. would temporarily administer Venezuela during a transition, heavily involving American companies in revitalizing its massive oil reserves and not ruling out limited ground forces for security.

By Khagan Isayev