Nicolás Maduro, the ousted Venezuelan president, and his wife were brought to the federal courthouse in New York City on Monday before their arraignment on charges of drug trafficking and other crimes, two days after they were captured in a U.S. military raid in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were escorted off a helicopter in Manhattan under heavy security and were set to face charges including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine, according to an unsealed indictment. Their capture in a U.S. commando raid in Caracas on Saturday followed a monthslong campaign by the Trump administration to drive out the autocratic leader.

Even as Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, offered to work with the United States “on a cooperative agenda,” President Donald Trump on Sunday night reiterated his assertion of direct control over Venezuela, saying his government was “in charge” of the country. That contradicted comments hours earlier by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested that the administration would instead coerce cooperation from the new leadership in Caracas.

Trump also suggested that the United States could take action against more countries, including Colombia, Mexico and the semiautonomous Danish territory of Greenland. Asked whether that could mean a U.S. operation against Colombia, he said, “It sounds good to me.”

The remarks drew a mix of responses. The president of Colombia warned that any attempt to detain him would unleash popular fury, and the prime minister of Denmark, a NATO ally, urged Trump to “stop the threats.” But Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum brushed aside the remarks. “This is just President Trump’s manner of speaking,” she said at a news conference Monday.

Here’s What Else to Know:

— Arraignment: The Maduros’ appearance Monday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan could be brief. He and his wife, who are being held a short distance away at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, are expected to enter pleas of not guilty, and a judge will almost certainly order them detained. It could be well over a year before a jury is seated to weigh the evidence against them.

— Congressional briefing: After Democratic lawmakers complained of not being notified about U.S. plans for Venezuela, Trump administration officials plan to provide a briefing Monday afternoon to leaders in Congress.

— Security Council: The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to convene an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the U.S. raid in Venezuela.

— Tankers: At least 16 oil tankers hit by U.S. sanctions appear to have attempted to evade a major U.S. naval blockade on Venezuela’s energy exports over the last two days, in part by disguising their true locations or turning off their transmission signals.

— Oil reserves: Trump made clear his desire to open up Venezuela’s vast state-controlled oil reserves to American oil companies. Shares of major American oil companies jumped Monday in the first trading session since Maduro’s ouster. But U.S. intervention in the Venezuelan oil industry could prove complicated and expensive.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Benjamin Weiser, William K. Rashbaum, Annie Karni and Hurubie Meko/Karsten Moran
c. 2025 The New York Times Company