Venezuela Cracks Down After U.S. Seizure of Maduro, Journalists Detained and Paramilitaries Deployed

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

CARACAS (Worthy News) – Venezuela’s remaining power structure has launched a sweeping security crackdown following the dramatic U.S. operation that captured former leader Nicolás Maduro, arresting journalists, restricting media coverage, and deploying armed paramilitary groups to suppress any public reaction to his removal.

Gun-wielding colectivos — pro-government paramilitary groups — flooded the streets of Caracas under a state of emergency that was dated January 3 but formally published Monday. Media unions reported that at least 14 journalists and media workers, including 11 from foreign outlets, were detained for hours and later released, as authorities sought to prevent coverage of political developments.

Most of the detentions occurred near the National Assembly as former vice president Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly indicated support for a transitional government open to engagement with Washington.

Since U.S. commandos seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a fierce gun battle Saturday and transported them to the United States, remaining regime elements have worked aggressively to stifle any celebration or perceived support for the operation. A human-rights activist in Caracas told the Financial Times that authorities dramatically escalated repression on Monday, describing checkpoints across the capital and security forces inspecting citizens’ phones for content deemed sympathetic to the U.S. action.

The emergency decree instructs authorities to “immediately undertake the search for and arrest of any person involved in the promotion of or support for the armed attack by the United States against the territory of the republic.” It remains unclear what formal charges could be brought against those detained.

Journalists were initially allowed inside the National Assembly for Rodríguez’s swearing-in ceremony but were barred from taking photographs or broadcasting live. Later, access was denied entirely. Colombia’s Caracol Television said its reporter Carlos Barragán and his team were detained by Venezuela’s military counter-intelligence service and questioned for nearly two hours before being released. The identities and locations of several other detained journalists remain unknown, as families fear retaliation if they speak publicly.

Colectivos, widely believed to be under the influence of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, have long been associated with violent repression. One armed member told reporters that Maduro’s capture was believed to involve betrayal from within his own ranks. “We remain active with our rifles and will respond if necessary,” he said.

Eastern Caracas neighborhoods known as opposition strongholds remained largely deserted in the days following Maduro’s capture. Residents expressed fear of reprisals if they openly celebrated. “We can’t celebrate anything,” said a woman in the Chacao district who declined to give her name. “If we celebrate, the colectivos could kill us.”

Maduro’s rule was marked by widespread repression even before his removal, with opposition figures routinely jailed, harassed, or forced into exile. According to local rights group Foro Penal, Venezuela currently holds at least 863 political prisoners.

Late Monday, gunfire was reported near the presidential palace, adding to tensions across the capital. A government spokesperson claimed the shots were warning fire after unauthorized drones flew over the area, insisting there was no confrontation and that “the entire country is completely calm.”

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