Secretary of State Marco Rubio is effectively running key parts of Venezuela from Washington, according to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/us/politics/how-marco-rubio-runs-venezuela.html?campaign_id=190&amp;amp;emc=edit_ufn_20260712&amp;amp;instance_id=178606&amp;amp;nl=from-the-times&amp;amp;regi_id=306413263&amp;amp;segment_id=222970&amp;amp;user_id=1cd699f6e5698983afd2a8a4030b003b">New York Times report.</a> 
The Times reported that Rubio has taken a leading role in shaping Venezuela policy, including overseeing sanctions, influencing how the country&#8217;s oil revenue is managed, and maintaining regular contact with acting Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez following the U.S. operation that captured former dictator Nicolás Maduro.
According to the Times, much of Venezuela&#8217;s oil export revenue now flows through the U.S. Treasury before being disbursed under conditions set by Rubio and his team. The report says Rubio has also played a key role in determining which foreign companies receive sanctions exemptions to operate in the country while encouraging greater participation by American firms.
The Times also reported that Rubio has used that leverage to push Venezuela away from Iran, China, and Russia. According to the report, Rodríguez regularly consults Washington on major government appointments while Rubio’s team helps shape economic and diplomatic decisions.
The report provides additional context for testimony Rubio gave before Congress in January, when he argued the administration&#8217;s efforts were aimed at stabilizing Venezuela rather than occupying it.
“There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country,” Rubio <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/28/nx-s1-5690365/rubio-senate-venezuela">told</a> senators. “There are no U.S. troops on the ground.”
The administration named career diplomat Laura F. Dogu as chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, restoring a diplomatic post for the first time since 2019. For the first time in two decades, he added, serious talks are underway to roll back Iranian, Chinese, and Russian influence in the country.
Rubio has said the administration&#8217;s long-term goal is a stable and prosperous Venezuela that eventually holds free elections. The Times reported that, for now, Rubio continues to exercise significant influence over many of Venezuela&#8217;s most consequential financial and policy decisions.

President Trump Observes Operation Epic Fury From Mar-a-Lago

Marco Rubio Takes On Extraordinary Role In Venezuela

Global Politics

Marco Rubio

Politics

Venezuela

The earthquakes in Venezuela were a natural disaster, but corruption is the fault line that turned them into a man-made catastrophe. With <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167837">thousands dead</a> and tens of thousands missing, it is now tragically clear that Delcy Rodriguez is not the answer for a still failing Venezuela. If Venezuela is to be rebuilt — physically, economically, and politically — it must be as a democracy.
As decades of <a href="https://ve.usembassy.gov/treasury-disrupts-corruption-network-stealing-from-venezuelas-food-distribution-program-clap/">bribes and kickbacks</a> filled the pockets of Hugo Chavez, Nicolás Maduro, and their cronies, corruption was simultaneously being built into the <a href="https://transparenciave.org/project/la-gran-mision-vivienda-venezuela-riesgo-la-corrupcion/">substandard buildings</a> these earthquakes destroyed. Construction contracts went to whoever paid the largest bribe, not to whoever would <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/poor-construction-weak-soil-blamed-as-1400-dead-in-venezuela-earthquake/">build to code</a>. <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15936335/Venezuela-earthquake-styrofoam-buildings-rescuer-video-death-toll.html">Shoddy materials</a> were used in housing developments built on unstable ground in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/engineers-urge-venezuela-audit-state-housing-after-deadly-quake-2026-06-29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">known high-risk</a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/engineers-urge-venezuela-audit-state-housing-after-deadly-quake-2026-06-29/"> areas</a>. When the earthquake hit on June 24, many of the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-earthquake-death-toll-satellite-images-buildings-damaged/">58,000 destroyed buildings</a> were already hollowed out by decades of graft.
That corruption did not end with the Trump administration’s arrest of Maduro. Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, has kept most of the corrupt officials from the Maduro era in place. Many of these holdovers have known ties to cartels and terror groups that are making billions of dollars from human trafficking, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/17/opinion/us-must-halt-the-terror-driven-gold-rush-looting-venezuela/">illegal gold mining</a>, and drugs. Instead of developing government capacity over the last six months, officials filled their offshore bank accounts.
The earthquake made the failures of the Rodriguez administration painfully clear, with the government <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Fk3DIXXNI">largely absent</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/venezuela-future-earthquake-9.7252201">ineffective</a>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yzd18dxzxo">standing idly by</a>, or <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/rescuers-volunteers-report-obstacles-rescue-182509614.html">actively interfering</a> with relief efforts. Six of the senior officials leading the earthquake response are <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/news/cabinet-of-the-blacklisted-sanctioned-loyalists-take-charge-of-venezuelas-quake-relief">currently sanctioned</a> for corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking, and repression.
Diosdado Cabello — Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace and the target of a $25 million U.S. <a href="https://www.state.gov/diosdado-cabello-rondon">bounty</a> for cocaine trafficking and selling rocket launchers to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — stood next to the Venezuelan president as she addressed the nation about the earthquake response plan. Rodriguez encouraged Cabello to continue “<a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/news/cabinet-of-the-blacklisted-sanctioned-loyalists-take-charge-of-venezuelas-quake-relief">working and inspecting</a>” incoming humanitarian supplies. The next day, Cabello was <a href="https://www.aol.com/articles/venezuelan-official-caught-sabotaging-american-195800000.html">caught on video</a> blocking the truck of American rescue workers and interfering with their delivery of aid.
Rodriguez appointed Governor Rafael Lacava to her reconstruction commission, despite U.S. sanctions against him for “<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm616">blocking the delivery of critical humanitarian aid</a>” at the same time he funneled corrupt proceeds to secret accounts in Switzerland and Andorra.
Rodriguez’s brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, will be leading a commission to build camps and housing for the displaced, despite <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm495">U.S. sanctions</a> for helping Maduro “solidify his hold on the military and the government while the Venezuelan people suffer.”
Even the runways meant to deliver relief suffered from both the earthquake and corruption. U.S. military personnel needed to repair damaged runways at Caracas’ main airport before relief flights could land, while between 2006 and 2015, Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht paid <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/business/stalled-brazilian-odebrecht-projects-decay-in-venezuela-idUSKBN18R2N0/">$98 million</a> in bribes to Venezuelan officials to, among other things, <a href="https://armando.info/lo-que-odebrecht-hizo-y-dejo-de-hacer/">overhaul the airport</a> and its runways — a project that was <a href="https://transparenciave.org/obrasinconclusas/obras_inconclusas/modernizacion-del-aeropuerto-internacional-de-maiquetia-simon-bolivar/">never completed</a>.
This is not a government capable of rebuilding Venezuela, and the people know it. When Rodriguez visited a neighborhood at the center of the disaster, the residents <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/u-s-quake-relief-efforts-collide-with-anger-at-venezuelas-government-4bc71afc?st=8dgZmW&amp;mod=e2tw">chanted</a>, “Get out! Get out!” Trump’s popularity in the country is plummeting as well, with <a href="https://www.wlrn.org/americas/2026-04-29/poll-venezuela-trump-delcy-rodriguez">90% of Venezuelans disapproving</a> of his support for the current government.
The United States still has major interests in the country, first and foremost, the interest in helping people suffering from a traumatic event. The U.S. has pledged <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/06/update-on-the-trump-administrations-robust-and-rapid-delivery-of-life-saving-u-s-assistance-to-venezuela">$300 million</a> in disaster relief, but without major changes and strong oversight, those funds will inevitably be stolen by corrupt officials as displaced Venezuelans are left out in the cold.
Such corruption risks fueling a renewed migration crisis. And surging migration will, in turn, benefit <a href="https://insightcrime.org/venezuela-organized-crime-news/tren-de-aragua/">human trafficking cartels</a>, like Tren de Aragua, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization that formed a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/maduro-indictment-trump-tren-de-aragua">core rationale</a> for overthrowing Maduro.
Cartels and terror groups given protection by corrupt officials in Venezuela could bleed over borders, undermining critical political transformations that are taking place in Colombia and Peru, or impact substantial U.S. investments in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/exxon-mobil-approves-127-billion-oil-project-guyana-2023-04-27/">neighboring Guyana</a>.
Even cold calculations of profit must recognize the wasted private sector opportunities if this government remains in power. This is not a country that is currently capable of attracting significant <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/venezuelas-trump-backed-reforms-have-yet-draw-investors-wary-legal-system-2026-06-03/">U.S. investment</a> or acting as a regional ally.
America’s leverage to force a change of government, however, is limited. In the wake of major operations in Venezuela and Iran and with midterm elections looming, a return of substantial military pressure is unlikely. Fortunately, corruption itself provides another pathway.
As corrupt Venezuelan officials demand bribes from visiting U.S. investors, businesses, or government counterparts, they bring themselves under the criminal jurisdiction of U.S. courts. The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act, enacted in 2024, provides for sentences of up to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/foreign-corrupt-practices-act">15 years</a> for bribery demands of U.S. persons by foreign officials. Using the gavel instead of the gunship, the Trump administration might have the legal ammunition to incentivize the regime to establish a short timetable for a fair and free election.
It is time for the U.S. to listen to the chants of the people and deliver what this moment demands: democracy, freedom, and a path for Venezuelans to determine their own future.
***
Josh Birenbaum is deputy director of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Carrie Filipetti is the Executive Director of the Vandenberg Coalition and the former Deputy Special Representative for Venezuela at the U.S. Department of State.

Press Conference By Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez

Can The Earthquake Help Venezuela Shake The Dictatorship?

Delcy Rodriguez

Diosdado Cabello

DW Opinion

Foreign Policy

Hugo Chavez

Nicolas Maduro

Trump Administration

Miracles continue to emerge following the devastating back-to-back earthquakes that rocked Venezuela and prompted a swift international response.
A viral video circulating on social media shows rescue units saving a puppy that had been trapped in rubble for five days. 
A Salvadoran search-and-rescue team located and pulled the dog from a dilapidated building in Caraballeda, a coastal city less than an hour&#8217;s drive from the capital, Caracas.
The harrowing, heart-thumping footage captures a small dog desperately barking beneath a massive pile of rubble. Rescuers wearing hefty orange gear found and embraced the small puppy before it enthusiastically licked their faces. Search teams erupted in applause as the dog was quickly handed over to medics for nourishment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Luego de 5 horas logramos rescatar a esta perrita que responde al nombre de Giselle, en Residencial El Palmar, Caraballeda.
Si alguien es su dueño, puede acercarse a nuestros equipos en la zona y demostrar con fotos o videos que es suya. <a href="https://t.co/8ddID8Wtln">pic.twitter.com/8ddID8Wtln</a>
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) <a href="https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/2071801384442175633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;After 5 hours, we managed to rescue this little dog who responds to the name Giselle, in Residencial El Palmar, Caraballeda,&#8221; Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele wrote in a <a href="https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/2071801384442175633">social media post</a>. &#8220;If anyone is her owner, they can approach our teams in the area and prove with photos or videos that she is theirs.&#8221;
The death toll from the devastating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-devastated-by-back-to-back-earthquakes-trump-takes-action?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Venezuela+Devastated+By+Back-To-Back+Earthquakes%2C+Trump+Takes+Action">earthquakes</a> has climbed to at least 2,200 people, according to the Associated Press, and tens of thousands remain missing. Desperate Venezuelans looking for loved ones continue to use shovels, heavy equipment, ropes, and bare hands to search for the missing under rubble and destroyed structures. 
Amid the devastation, other miraculous signs of hope continue to emerge. On Thursday, 43-year-old security guard Hernán Alberto Gil Flores was found alive and pulled from the rubble after spending eight days trapped beneath a collapsed shopping center, the Associated Press reported. 
Caracas and the surrounding area were rocked last Wednesday by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake just 40 seconds later. The catastrophic quakes were unusually close together and instantly leveled large buildings, including homes and apartment complexes, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-toll-climbs-from-twin-earthquake-disaster-as-rescuers-race-to-find-survivors">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. 
Verisk, a catastrophe and risk modeling firm, expects economic damages from the disaster to exceed $10 billion, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/verisk-estimates-over-10-billion-economic-losses-venezuela-earthquake-2026-07-02/">according to Reuters</a>, pushing the international community to get involved. 
The United States has launched a robust relief operation, <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/06/update-on-the-trump-administrations-robust-and-rapid-delivery-of-life-saving-u-s-assistance-to-venezuela">committing</a> more than $300 million in aid and deploying troops, humanitarian workers, and search-and-rescue teams across the country.
Promising a rapid response to the disaster, Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://share.america.gov/expert-search-and-rescue-teams-save-lives-in-venezuela/">told</a> reporters, “It’ll be big; it’ll be fast; and it’ll be effective.”

Rescue Efforts Continue In Venezuela After A Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Struck The Country

WATCH: Rescuers Save Dog Trapped In Rubble For 5 Days After Venezuela Earthquakes

Dogs

Earthquakes

News

The Trump administration&#8217;s massive earthquake relief operation in Venezuela is highlighting a remarkable shift in U.S.-Venezuelan relations just six months after U.S. special forces captured former dictator Nicolás Maduro.
After two massive earthquakes measuring magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 struck north-central Venezuela last week, the United States launched a robust relief operation, <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/06/update-on-the-trump-administrations-robust-and-rapid-delivery-of-life-saving-u-s-assistance-to-venezuela">committing</a> more than $300 million in aid and deploying troops, humanitarian workers, and search-and-rescue teams across the country.
So far, the death toll stands at roughly 2,295 people, with that number expected to rise as more bodies are recovered from the rubble.
The response stands in contrast to the hostile relationship that existed only months earlier, when the United States seized Venezuelan oil tankers, threatened military action against Maduro&#8217;s regime, and ultimately carried out the operation that removed him from power.
Promising a swift response to the disaster, Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://share.america.gov/expert-search-and-rescue-teams-save-lives-in-venezuela/">told</a> reporters, &#8220;It&#8217;ll be big; it&#8217;ll be fast; and it&#8217;ll be effective.&#8221;
The State Department announced Monday that the administration increased its commitment to more than $300 million after U.S. personnel on the ground identified urgent humanitarian needs. The funding includes $200 million for aid organizations and another roughly $100 million dedicated to specialized American logistics, military support, search-and-rescue operations, and emergency supplies. 
Officials emphasized that the money is flowing through established humanitarian partners rather than directly through the Venezuelan government. Organizations receiving support include Samaritan&#8217;s Purse, Catholic Relief Services, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, Project Hope, the International Organization for Migration, International Medical Corps, and the Red Cross. 
The United States has deployed four elite urban search-and-rescue teams from Fairfax County, Los Angeles County, Miami-Dade County, and the City of Miami, totaling more than 300 first responders and 23 search dogs. The teams are conducting round-the-clock operations in some of the hardest-hit areas to locate survivors, provide medical care, and conduct structural assessments, according to the State Department.
The U.S. military has played a significant role in the relief effort. American airmen rapidly repaired and reopened Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas. A specialized Air Force team now coordinates tower and ground operations to keep humanitarian flights moving and supplies flowing to disaster zones. 
Offshore, the U.S. Navy transport dock ship, USS Fort Lauderdale, is supporting aid deliveries near La Guaira, where U.S. sailors and Marines are ferrying supplies to devastated coastal communities. American naval personnel are also working alongside Venezuelan authorities to repair and reopen the earthquake-damaged Port of La Guaira, a critical hub for incoming aid.
Assistant Secretary for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Caleb Orr is scheduled to travel to Venezuela from July 1 through July 3 amid the relief operations. 
Just six months ago, the two countries appeared headed toward a direct confrontation. Today, American troops and Venezuelan officials are working together to deliver aid.
What began as a maximum-pressure campaign early in Trump&#8217;s second term escalated into the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers and culminated in a lightning-fast 88-minute U.S. special operations raid that captured Maduro in January. 
According to American officials, the mission was among the most complex military operations in recent years. Venezuelans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ive-never-seen-anything-like-it-maduros-security-guard-lays-out-what-its-like-facing-u-s-military">who witnessed</a> the assault described a force so overwhelming that Maduro&#8217;s security apparatus never stood a chance, with some claiming American commandos slipped in undetected, overwhelmed hundreds of security guards, and employed sonic weapon technology they had never seen before.
The raid culminated in an unforgettable scene: Maduro, once one of Washington&#8217;s most defiant adversaries, being escorted in New York City by American law enforcement. The scene went viral, turning the longtime bully into a humiliating symbol of his era’s collapse.
After Maduro&#8217;s capture, Trump signaled an expansive American role in Venezuela&#8217;s recovery.
“We&#8217;re going to run it, fix it,” Trump said at the time. “It&#8217;s a broken country.”
But the Trump administration ultimately established a working relationship with President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro&#8217;s former vice president who assumed power after his removal.
Despite international backlash and accusations that the operation violated Venezuela&#8217;s sovereignty, Washington moved to stabilize the country and revive its economy. Relations between the two nations improved rapidly.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spearheaded the administration&#8217;s diplomatic outreach, seeking not only to stabilize Venezuela politically but also to rebuild relations between the two countries. At the same time, the administration encouraged American companies to invest in reviving Venezuela&#8217;s battered economy and oil industry.
In recent months, the administration has eased sanctions, restored direct commercial flights between the two countries for the first time in seven years, and backed economic reforms designed to attract foreign investment. Senior U.S. officials, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright, have traveled to Venezuela.
<a href="https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/crude-oil/061026-trump-official-says-venezuela-oil-recovery-on-track-after-maduro-ouster#:~:text=Venezuelan%20state%20oil%20company%20PDVSA,from%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Hydrocarbons.">According to S&amp;P Global</a>, Venezuela increased oil output from about 940,000 barrels per day in January to more than 1.15 million barrels per day in May. Government officials expect production to keep growing and reach 1.37 million barrels per day by the end of 2026, bringing help to the South American country’s struggling economy.
Venezuela&#8217;s economy has shown signs of improvement in recent months. Inflation, which topped 600% in 2025, has fallen dramatically, with monthly inflation now below 10%, according to Orr.
The improved relationship has implications beyond humanitarian aid or economic partnerships. By drawing Venezuela closer to Washington, the administration has sought to diminish the influence of adversaries such as China, Russia, and Cuba, all of which expanded their foothold in the country during the Maduro years.
The shift has also been welcomed by many Venezuelan Americans, particularly in South Florida, where large diaspora communities have long advocated for Maduro&#8217;s removal and closer ties between the United States and a post-Maduro Venezuela.
Now, as Venezuela confronts one of the worst natural disasters in its recent history, the United States is playing a leading role in the international relief effort — a scene that would have been almost unimaginable just months ago.
Leona Salinas contributed to this report.

Search and rescue operations continue in earthquake-hit Venezuela

Earthquake Relief Marks Historic Shift In U.S. Relations With Venezuela

U.S. Earthquake Relief Marks Stunning Shift In Relations With Venezuela

Natural Disaster

More than 1,400 people have died since an earthquake ravaged Venezuela earlier this week, and I blame socialism.
I know ideology can’t shift tectonic plates. But it can leave a society unprepared to face disaster and render a people unable to pick up its pieces.
Things were bad before the first road cracked or buildings fell. The numbers were a catastrophe before the first building fell. According to the <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations,</a> nearly eight million Venezuelans — about one in four citizens — required humanitarian assistance. That level of need for a country sitting atop one of the Earth’s largest oil reserves is something only central planning can create.
The economist Friedrich Hayek said the problem with central planning is that the knowledge on which a society runs is not held in any single mind or ministry. It’s scattered across millions of people, each aware of some small fact — what is needed, where, and how badly — that no central authority could ever gather in one room.
In free societies like ours, market prices ensure that knowledge is spread out and accessible in times of need. A command economy throws that mechanism away and tries to do the calculating from a single desk. This system fails even in calm times, as Venezuela’s bread lines, empty shelves, and hyperinflation have long proved.
After a disaster, those failures turn lethal. A government that cannot keep a pharmacy stocked in peacetime will not conjure a rescue operation out of the rubble.
Imagine a man in La Guaira — let’s call him Carlos — who woke up to find his house shaking. Half asleep he rushes outside, and as he stands in the dust he realizes his wife and baby daughters were still inside. From inside the rubble of what was once his home, Carlos hears their call. His family survived. They need to be rescued.
Carlos calls the government’s emergency number, but no one answers. No one comes. There are no trucks, no spreaders, no floodlights, no crew of strangers trained for exactly this. Just a father digging at concrete with his bare hands while the sounds underneath him got quieter and then stopped.
His daughters did not die in the earthquake. They died in the hours after it, in the moments where people in a functioning country would have access to rescue crews and emergency lines: ordinary, unglamorous competence. Carlos’s family died because for 20 years the governments of Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro hollowed out the country in the name of socialism.
In the United States, the consent of the governed enables the government to serve its people, not oppress them. In Venezuela, things have been inverted for a long time, as the earthquake laid bare.
The same security forces that spared no expense breaking up pro-democracy protests have, in the days since the ground shook, mostly stayed out of the rubble. Reporters in La Guaira watched state workers pose for photographs in front of collapsed buildings and then leave without lifting a stone, while their neighbors dug with motorcycle helmets for hard hats and bare hands for tools.
On the night of June 26, the government sealed off the hardest-hit areas and demanded special permits to enter — even as families clawed at concrete crushing the people they loved. Officials said the roads had to be cleared for ambulances to get through. But according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/world/americas/venezuela-earthquake-shortages-doctors.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>, there were just three functioning ambulances in the entire capital city.
I lived the first 16 years of my life in Venezuela. I was old enough to understand exactly what I was leaving behind, and young enough to get a chance to start again in a country that works.
Most people only ever live one of those lives. They either grow up inside the failure and never escape it, or they grow up inside the safety and never think to question it. I ended up with both, and the gap between them is not an abstraction to me.
That’s why I was aghast when, two days before the earthquakes in Venezuela, my adopted country handed a string of victories to candidates who ran, proudly, under the banner of socialism. Democratic socialism, they’re careful to say — and they’re right that the word matters. New York is not Caracas. Mamdani is not Maduro.
But enthusiasm for these candidates runs hottest among people who, like most Americans my age, have never once seen the bill come due. I don’t blame them. It’s easy to like the idea of the city running the grocery store when you’ve never lived somewhere the state couldn’t keep one stocked. It’s easy to trust the single desk with more and more of daily life when you’ve never heard the silence on the other end of an emergency line.
This earthquake didn’t break Venezuela. It revealed a country that was already broken, and stripped away the last of the cover that had been hiding the damage. The tragedy isn’t just that the plates shifted. The tragedy is that they shifted under a people whose government made sure they’d have nothing left to land on.
***
Olga Benacerraf de Strulovic is a J.D. Candidate at the University of Chicago Law School. She was born and raised in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, and was one of many Venezuelans who fled the country during Nicolás Maduro’s rule.

VENEZUELA-EARTHQUAKE-AID

An Earthquake Shook Venezuela, But Socialism Broke It

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

The wife and children of Argentine soccer player Lucas Trejo have been found dead following the massive back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela. 
<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/28/sports/lucas-trejos-wife-kids-found-dead-after-venezuela-earthquakes/">According to The New York Post</a>, Trejo’s wife, Yanina Maranella, and their children, Aarón and Ainhoa, are among the victims as the death toll continues to rise.
Family friend Edson Tortolero, a soccer player himself, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DaIbcH4RWcb/">paid tribute</a> to the family on Instagram, writing in Spanish: “We inform all the people of Venezuela and Argentina that the bodies of Lucas Trejo’s family members have been found lifeless.&#8221;
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<a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DW2sCtJAdTx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Lucas Trejo LT (@lucastrejo_lt)</a>
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</blockquote>
“We thank everyone for the support and ask for the most sincere respect for his family at this time. WE PRAY FOR ETERNAL LIFE FOR THEM.”
Trejo’s club, Venezuelan side Club Sport Marítimo de La Guaira, said that there had been a three-day search for his wife and children, according to The Post, 
“Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the loss suffered by Lucas Trejo’s family. We ask for respect for his relatives and teammates,” the statement read, according to The Post. “After a 74-hour search, they were found deceased.”
The death toll from the devastating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-devastated-by-back-to-back-earthquakes-trump-takes-action?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Venezuela+Devastated+By+Back-To-Back+Earthquakes%2C+Trump+Takes+Action">earthquakes</a> has climbed to at least 1,430 people, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/earthquakes-venezuela-rescues-survivors-92a3d6c13c0f9af9c1bfb4ff6d041254">according to the Associated Press</a>, and tens of thousands remain missing. Desperate Venezuelans looking for loved ones used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes, and bare hands to search for the missing under rubble and dilapidated structures. 
Caracas and the surrounding area were rocked Wednesday evening by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake just 40 seconds later. The devastating earthquakes were unusually close together and instantly leveled large buildings, including homes and apartment complexes, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-toll-climbs-from-twin-earthquake-disaster-as-rescuers-race-to-find-survivors">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. 
Rescue teams are working against the clock to find survivors within the “golden window,” the 48- to 72-hour time period to reach people buried under rubble. Many search and rescue teams also follow a “rule of fours,” which states that trapped survivors can last four minutes without air, four days without water, and four weeks without food, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/world/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-hnk?post-id=cmqud1pu300043b6rpgjce4vi">CNN</a>.
With time running out, there are still signs of miraculous survival amid widespread death and devastation. Over the weekend, American rescuers pulled a 9-month-old baby and her mom from the rubble of a collapsed building in Venezuela, <a href="https://x.com/VATF1/status/2071009549906272649?s=20">according to the State Department. </a>
On Sunday, U.S. personnel on the ground saved three more lives from the rubble. 
“We couldn’t be prouder,” the State Department <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/2071328289218507262?s=20">said</a>, fulfilling a promise made by President Trump.  
“The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends,” he said after the back-to-back quakes. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, members of USA-01, working alongside local firefighters, rescued a mother &amp; her nine-month-old baby from a collapsed structure. Both were found alive with only minor injuries, brought to safety to the cheers of neighbors. 
This is our why: the delivery of hope.<a href="https://x.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a> <a href="https://t.co/3ZmJWlN5oL">pic.twitter.com/3ZmJWlN5oL</a>
— VA-TF1 / USA-01 &#8211; Urban Search and Rescue (@VATF1) <a href="https://x.com/VATF1/status/2071009549906272649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2026</a></blockquote>

VENEZUELA-EARTHQUAKE

Rescue Teams Search Rubble, Pray For Miracles After Deadly Quakes

Tragedy And Miracles Side By Side In Wake Of Deadly Earthquakes

A search and rescue team successfully rescued a dog buried under rubble following two massive earthquakes in Venezuela.
Video shows the dog’s head sticking out of debris as the rescuers gave it water and dug it out.
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Venezuela rescuers give dog water as his head peeks out from mountain of earthquake rubble <a href="https://t.co/7y9HJ2WQUF">pic.twitter.com/7y9HJ2WQUF</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/2070551798889279816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The unit had finished a search and rescue mission at a nearby home when the group heard barking from rubble, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/27/world-news/video-captures-firefighters-rescuing-dog-from-the-rubble-of-venezuela-earthquakes/">according</a> to the New York Post. The team located the dog and safely extricated it from the debris.
“This extraordinary discovery has served as a symbol of hope for everyone at the disaster site,” the Caracas Fire Department said in a statement, according to the Post. “Our emergency teams continue to work tirelessly on search and rescue efforts, reaffirming our absolute commitment to saving lives. We press on, with strength and solidarity!”
The successful canine rescue comes as searches for earthquake survivors continue. At least 920 people are dead and 3,360 are injured, the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/26/world-news/neighbors-dig-through-venezuela-rubble-to-search-for-loved-ones-after-earthquakes-kill-at-least-235/">reported</a>.
Two earthquakes of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck Venezuela Wednesday night, leveling homes and large buildings in Caracas and the nearby area.
Saturday night will mark three days since the disaster, a crucial period for rescue teams as the first 48 to 72 hours offer the best chance of finding people alive.
“Each person saved is a miracle,” Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said. “We are not going to hide absolutely anything about the magnitude of this tragedy.”
Venezuelan authorities began blocking access to La Guaira, the site of some of the worst destruction, so citizens would not disrupt rescue teams, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuelan-earthquake-death-toll-hits-least-920-us-rescuers-race-against-critical-survival-window">reported</a>.
Many civilians are searching for missing loved ones by themselves, citing a lack of state search and rescue teams in hard-hit areas, according to the Post.
Nazareth Jimenez, who lives in La Guaira, watched her neighbors use power tools to cut through rubble in an attempt to find survivors, the AP reported.
“We’re making a call for help to the government and countries across the world,” Jimenez told the outlet. “There are still people alive in there.”
As of Friday, the Venezuelan government believed around 50,000 people were still missing, and the U.S. Geological Survey predicted more than 10,000 deaths, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-toll-climbs-from-twin-earthquake-disaster-as-rescuers-race-to-find-survivors">reported</a>.
The United States has offered assistance in the aftermath of the quakes, and rescue teams from California, Florida, and Virginia were sent to Venezuela Friday, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuelan-earthquake-death-toll-hits-least-920-us-rescuers-race-against-critical-survival-window">according</a> to Fox News. Teams from countries including Chile, Mexico, and Switzerland are helping search for survivors as well.
“The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!” President Donald Trump said Wednesday night. “I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.”

WATCH: Rescuers Pull Dog From Rubble As Earthquake Death Toll Rises

earthquake

The death toll from the massive back-to-back <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/venezuela-devastated-by-back-to-back-earthquakes-trump-takes-action?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Venezuela+Devastated+By+Back-To-Back+Earthquakes%2C+Trump+Takes+Action">earthquakes</a> that struck Venezuela on Wednesday has climbed to at least 235 people as search and rescue teams continue to comb through the rubble, according to the latest report from authorities. More than 4,300 people were also injured in the disaster.
Caracas and the surrounding area were rocked Wednesday evening by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that was followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake just 40 seconds later. The devastating earthquakes were unusually close together and instantly leveled large buildings, including homes and apartment complexes.
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<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;"><iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/BAaToDMxZyhcgQEMid8c4HVRhYKFFp38?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=f39dc36d-7354-4da9-a648-5c460ead2058&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-6-25%20Venezuela%20earthquake%20buildings%20collapse%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F95218f19-c7a6-4e4a-8c22-a5a76ccfbcb1.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
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The Venezuelan government believes that around 50,000 people are still missing after the earthquakes, and the death toll is expected to climb much higher. The U.S. Geological Survey has predicted more than 10,000 deaths, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/rescuers-comb-venezuelan-quake-rubble-thousands-reported-missing-2026-06-26/">reported</a>.
Rescue teams are working against the clock as they seek to find survivors within the &#8220;golden window,&#8221; the 48- to 72-hour time period to reach people buried under rubble before their chance of survival greatly diminishes. As of time of publication, it has been over 60 hours since the twin quakes. Many search and rescue teams also follow a &#8220;rule of fours,&#8221; which states that trapped survivors can last four minutes without air, four days without water, and four weeks without food, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/world/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-hnk?post-id=cmqud1pu300043b6rpgjce4vi">CNN</a>.
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<div id="attachment_1123767" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1123767" class="wp-image-1123767 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282641271.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rescue workers carry a person on a stretcher out of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 24, 2026. (Photo by Juan Barreto / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Search teams have successfully rescued some people from collapsed buildings as video footage has shown emergency workers moving bloodied people out of the wreckage, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/latin-america/venezuela-eartquake-death-toll-trapped-rcna351884">reported</a>. Rescue teams from Mexico, Chile, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Switzerland have joined Venezuelan authorities in the search effort. Numerous other countries have also offered their assistance, including the United States.
A senior U.S. Southern Command official has already arrived in Caracas to view the damage and prepare America&#8217;s efforts to help Venezuela. President Donald Trump said late Wednesday night, &#8220;The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.&#8221;
Venezuela confirmed that 250 buildings have been damaged, including at least eight hospitals.

Death Toll Climbs From Twin Earthquake Disaster As Rescuers Race To Find Survivors

Twin earthquakes rocked Venezuela on Wednesday, including a 7.5 magnitude quake whose epicenter hit west of Caracas just 40 seconds after a 7.2 magnitude quake struck nearby.
At least 164 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 more have been injured from the back-to-back earthquakes that crumbled buildings and devastated city streets, according to Venezuela&#8217;s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The total extent of the damage, however, still remains unclear as of Thursday morning, and the death toll could rise even higher as search and rescue teams try to locate missing people.
<div style="max-width: 728px; margin: 0 auto;">  <iframe style="aspect-ratio: 9/16; max-width: 220px; display: flex; justify-content: center; width: 100%; margin: 20px auto 5px; border: 0;" src="https://player.mux.com/BAaToDMxZyhcgQEMid8c4HVRhYKFFp38?metadata-video-content-type=embed_video&amp;metadata-video-id=f39dc36d-7354-4da9-a648-5c460ead2058&amp;metadata-video-stream-type=on-demand&amp;metadata-video-title=2026-6-25%20Venezuela%20earthquake%20buildings%20collapse%20&amp;poster=https%3A%2F%2Fdailywireplus-v2.imgix.net%2Fimages%2Fembedded-videos%2F95218f19-c7a6-4e4a-8c22-a5a76ccfbcb1.jpg&amp;autoplay=false&amp;accent-color=%23DB3D3B&amp;primary-color=%23ffffff&amp;secondary-color=%23000000" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
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The twin quakes were “unusual for being so close together in time,&#8221; Mark Allen, Earth Sciences professor at Durham University, told Science Media Center. While the second quake&#8217;s reading at 7.5 magnitude doesn&#8217;t seem much bigger than the first 7.2 quake, &#8220;it’s actually twice as large because of the way the scale works,&#8221; Adam Pascale, a seismology expert at the Seismology Research Institute in Australia, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/weather/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-puerto-rico-tsunami">told</a> CNN. After the huge quakes, Venezuela has felt at least 30 aftershocks, according to Rodríguez.
The first earthquake hit around 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and its epicenter was near San Felipe, where around 200,000 people live, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/25/world/venezuela-earthquake">reported</a>. The second — and larger quake — hit nearby just 40 seconds later. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake was the largest to strike Venezuela since 1900.
Photos taken after the quakes show the devastation as hundreds of people were forced to the streets after apartment buildings collapsed.
<div id="attachment_1122907" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1122907" class="wp-image-1122907 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282696894.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />People walk past a collapsed building following an earthquake in Caracas on June 25, 2026.(Photo by Manaure QUINTERO / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
<div id="attachment_1122909" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1122909" class="wp-image-1122909 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/GettyImages-2282692862.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />CARACAS, VENEZUELA JUNE 25: Rescue teams continue searching the rubble of a collapsed building for survivors in the San Bernardino neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026. In the early hours of the day, firefighters and Civil Protection personnel rescued an elderly person showing signs of life from the debris. The individual was taken by ambulance to a medical center. (Photo by Diko Betancourt/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116808686040715251">confirmed</a> that reports from Venezuela following the massive quakes &#8220;are not good.&#8221; Trump added that the United States is prepared to help Venezuela following the devastation.
&#8220;The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths. The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends.&#8221;
Rodríguez <a href="https://x.com/delcyrodriguezv/status/2070027304848302187">responded</a> to Trump&#8217;s post and thanked his administration for staying in contact with Caracas &#8220;in the face of this tragedy that has plunged us into mourning.&#8221;
&#8220;Venezuela will never forget the helping hand extended to our people during these difficult times,&#8221; Rodríguez added.
In an early morning post on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio <a href="https://x.com/SecRubio/status/2070017868683727039">wrote</a> that the &#8220;State Department is immediately deploying search and rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela.&#8221;
&#8220;The United States extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes,&#8221; Rubio added. &#8220;Our hearts are with all those who have lost loved ones, those injured, and the courageous rescue workers working tirelessly in the aftermath.&#8221;
The massive earthquakes hit Venezuela as the United States continues to oversee the South American country following the U.S. capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela was not the only country to experience quakes on Wednesday, with two other strong earthquakes hitting Japan and Northern California. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Northern California at around 8:10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, and there were some reports of injuries. Then, soon after the twin quakes in Venezuela, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck just off the coast of Japan. No injuries or serious damage was reported after the Japan quake.

Venezuela earthquake

Venezuela Devastated By Back-To-Back Earthquakes, Trump Takes Action

Donald Trump

President Donald Trump said on Monday that he&#8217;s serious about officially making Venezuela and its massive oil reserves part of the United States.
In a phone call with Fox News anchor John Roberts, Trump <a href="https://x.com/johnrobertsFox/status/2053844898890051748">said</a> he is &#8220;seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.&#8221; Trump <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2053849060377759775">emphasized</a> Venezuela&#8217;s oil reserves and discussed his administration&#8217;s focus on the South American country, adding, &#8220;Venezuela loves Trump.&#8221;
Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela&#8217;s acting president, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/venezuela-never-considered-becoming-51st-172403831.html">responded</a> to Trump&#8217;s remark and told reporters that Venezuela wants to remain independent.
&#8220;That would never have been considered, because if there is one thing we Venezuelan men and women have, it is that we love our independence process, we love our heroes and heroines of independence,&#8221; she said.
Rodríguez added that her government would continue to work with the United States in &#8220;a diplomatic cooperation agenda.&#8221;
For Venezuela to become a U.S. state, Congress would have to pass a law via the Admissions Clause of the Constitution, which would then require the president&#8217;s signature. Former territories, such as Alaska and Hawaii, also held referendums for residents to vote on statehood before they became part of the union.
Trump floated Venezuelan statehood as his administration continues to work with the country&#8217;s acting president after dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces and brought back to the United States to stand trial on narco-terrorism charges. Trump suggested in March that he was pleased with Rodríguez as oil flows from Venezuela to the United States and Europe, with the South American country&#8217;s exports hitting a <a href="https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Venezuela-Oil-Exports-Hit-Seven-Year-High.html">seven-year high</a> last month. The U.S. Treasury Department is currently managing the proceeds from Venezuelan oil sales in specialized accounts.
Since Trump took major military and economic action on Venezuela in early January, the United States has become the top destination for Venezuelan oil, with around 445,000 barrels per day exported to America in April, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/venezuelas-oil-exports-jump-highest-since-2018-with-more-sales-us-india-2026-05-01/">reported</a>. Last month, Chevron said that the increased oil imports from Venezuela are helping mitigate rising fuel costs due to the war in Iran.
Andrew Walz, Chevron&#8217;s president of global refining, said the oil imports are helping &#8220;bring revenue to Venezuela&#8221; and &#8220;helping Americans.&#8221;
The Trump administration also reopened commercial flights to Venezuela late last month, with direct flights to Caracas set to become available at major airports across the United States in the coming months.
Trump first hinted at making Venezuela the 51st state in a Truth Social post in March when he wrote, &#8220;Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?&#8221;
While Trump claims that Venezuelan statehood is a serious consideration inside the Oval Office, the president has often suggested that the United States would take over foreign countries or territories.
As the president pressured Canada on trade last year, he regularly suggested that America&#8217;s neighbor could become the 51st state. He has also pushed for Greenland to become a U.S. territory for national security purposes and suggested that the United States could take over Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war.

Trump ‘Seriously Considering’ Turning America’s Former Adversary Into 51st State

U.S.

The first commercial flight from the United States to Venezuela since 2019 took off from Miami International Airport on Thursday morning, a win for the Trump administration as the president reshapes Washington&#8217;s relationship with Caracas.
The American Airlines plane destined for Caracas was given a water salute by fire engines on the tarmac before it took off from Miami at around 10:00 a.m. ET. Flight AA3599 was operated by Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines. The plane was one of the airline&#8217;s America 250 commemorative aircraft.
&#8220;For nearly 7 years there have been no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela,&#8221; the State Department said. &#8220;Under President Trump we&#8217;re changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas restored.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For nearly 7 years there have been no direct commercial flights between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Under President Trump we&#8217;re changing that today. Flights between Miami and Caracas restored. <a href="https://t.co/3fsLVwWHQQ">pic.twitter.com/3fsLVwWHQQ</a>
— Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/2049870663138083123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Flight AA3599 is expected to arrive in Caracas just after 1:20 p.m. local time. The plane will return to Florida later Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/flights-resume-from-miami-to-caracas-venezuela-for-the-first-time-in-7-years/3803307/">reported</a>. Miami resident Lennart Ochoa said he was excited for the reopening of commercial air travel between the two countries.
“I’m very excited to go and see the family and I’m looking forward to see the country,” Ochoa said, according to the AP.
Thursday&#8217;s flight from the United States to Venezuela comes less than five months after U.S. forces captured dictator Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. In March, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314795646.html">praised</a> acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and said his administration&#8217;s relationship with Venezuela had greatly improved after the operation to capture Maduro.
The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/15/politics/dhs-suspends-venezuela-flights">suspended</a> air travel between the United States and Venezuela in 2019 during Trump&#8217;s first term &#8220;based on the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela.&#8221; Just a few months earlier, the Trump administration sanctioned Venezuela&#8217;s state-run oil company, citing Maduro&#8217;s corruption.
“As a result of the Maduro regime’s inability to govern and perpetuation of lawlessness, it is no longer possible to certify that Venezuela is meeting baseline standards of security,&#8221; a U.S. official told CNN at the time.
The flight to Caracas on Thursday is just the first of many commercial flights to come between the two countries. In the coming months, American Airlines will also offer <a href="https://www.aa.com/en-us/flights-to-venezuela">flights</a> to Caracas from Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, and Washington, D.C.

American Airlines

Trump Officially Opens Flights To His Favorite South American Country

Air Travel

World

The illegal immigrant accused of killing 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman in Chicago last month had previously been flagged by the Biden administration as &#8220;likely&#8221; to run before federal authorities released him into the country, according to newly released documents from the House Judiciary Committee.
Venezuelan national Jose Medina, 25, unlawfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2023 during a period when the Biden administration was releasing thousands of illegal crossers each day under its catch-and-release policies. Before setting the illegal immigrant free, Border Patrol agents noted that Medina was &#8220;likely to abscond,&#8221; citing that he had &#8220;close family ties or roots in this country,&#8221; the documents show.
The agents also noted that Medina didn&#8217;t make any asylum claims, writing that he did not &#8220;fear harm or persecution&#8221; if returned to Venezuela.
&#8220;Democrats knew this man was dangerous and had no legitimate asylum claim. But they still released him,&#8221; House Judiciary Committee Republicans wrote in an X post.
Nearly three years later, Medina allegedly shot and killed Gorman, a freshman attending Loyola University, as she was walking with friends to see the Northern Lights.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Democrats knew this man was dangerous and had no legitimate asylum claim.
But they still released him. <a href="https://t.co/LQxcBcXKhG">pic.twitter.com/LQxcBcXKhG</a>
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/2044067066827694161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Before the killing, Medina had been charged in a June 2023 shoplifting incident at a Chicago Macy’s, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/21/loyola-chicago-shooting-suspect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Chicago Tribune. A warrant was issued for Medina&#8217;s arrest after he failed to appear for his hearing in that case.
In an earlier statement, Gorman&#8217;s family said Medina should never have been out on the streets.
“We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime,” they said. “When systems fail — whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act — the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer request with local authorities, though it is not expected to be honored under Illinois sanctuary policies.
“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder,” Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in an earlier statement.
“We are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods,” Bis added.
Medina faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder in the first degree, three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.

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