Overview
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was briefed on plans to detain Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in federal custody in New York and labeled the U.S. operation a violation of federal and international law.
- Mamdani spoke directly with President Donald Trump to register his opposition to what he called a pursuit of regime change and said his administration will issue guidance focused on public safety.
- Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have unsealed narcotics- and weapons-related indictments against Maduro and Flores, with officials confirming their arrival in New York for detention and court proceedings.
- Governor Kathy Hochul said state police are coordinating with local law enforcement to protect New Yorkers, as Democratic leaders demanded briefings on Trump’s plan to have the United States temporarily run Venezuela.
- Republican lawmakers castigated Mamdani for his remarks, even as Venezuela’s government denounced the U.S. action and legal experts and politicians debated the operation’s legality and scope.