More protests over the arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro are expected Monday in New York City, where the ex-president is scheduled to be arraigned on narcoterrorism charges later today.
Maduro was transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to Manhattan by helicopter and armored car shortly before 7:30 a.m. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to appear at noon at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
A rally in support of the U.S. military operation that captured Maduro and brought him to New York to face charges was set for 10:30 a.m. in Lower Manhattan.
A protest denouncing Maduro’s arrest is expected at around 11:30 a.m. in Foley Square.
Protesters barricade sidewalk outside jail where Maduro, wife are held
Venezuelan flags were on display throughout the weekend in New York City in celebration of Maduro’s capture. Some called it a light at the end of the tunnel, but others took offense.
“Celebrating a shame, celebrating a crime. How can somebody be celebrating a crime? The kidnapping of a president?” said Lucy Pagoada of Queens.
On Sunday, protesters called for Maduro’s immediate release and denounced President Trump’s military actions during a rally outside the Metropolitan Detention Center.
The demonstrators barricaded a portion of the sidewalk across from the jail where Maduro and Flores have been held since their arrival in New York on Saturday night.
People protest against American intervention in Venezuela and for the release of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center on January 4, 2026 in the Brooklyn.
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
“As people of the United States, we have to oppose this action because what’s stopping Trump from doing this to other countries?” said Zoe Alexandra of ANSWER Coalition, an anti-war and anti-racism protest group formed after 9/11.
Others celebrate Maduro’s capture
New Yorkers who spoke out against the protest said they believe if Maduro was not captured, it would be years before Venezuelans see any sort of change.
Esteban Chacin, who fled the South American nation nine years ago, and other Venezuelans said the life they left was unsustainable under Maduro’s authoritarian rule and that the strikes and his capture were necessary.
Demonstrators celebrate the arrival of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in New York.
Yuki Iwamura / AP
“And not just because of the U.S. or the sanctions. The government that was there has been corrupt enough to earn their own blame or fault,” Chacin said.
After Mr. Trump announced temporary U.S. control over Venezuela, its natives are eagerly watching and waiting.