Today, the United States condemned Nicolás Maduro's inauguration in Venezuela, calling it an illegitimate attempt to seize power. According to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, "The Venezuelan people and world know the truth – Maduro clearly lost the 2024 presidential election and has no right to claim the presidency." The U.S. does not recognize Maduro as president and supports President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia.
In response, the Department of State increased reward offers for information leading to the arrests or convictions of Nicolás Maduro and his Minister of Interior Diosdado Cabello to $25 million each. A new reward offer of $15 million was announced for Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López. These rewards are related to narcotrafficking indictments from March 2020.
Additionally, new visa restrictions will be imposed on individuals aligned with Maduro who are involved in undermining electoral processes or acts of repression. Nearly 2,000 individuals have already faced such restrictions.
The Department of Treasury is imposing sanctions on eight individuals supporting Maduro's authority in Venezuela. This is part of a broader effort that has sanctioned 187 current or former officials linked to Maduro since Venezuela’s July 28 election.
These actions align with similar measures by Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, emphasizing international solidarity with Venezuelans.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security extended Venezuela's Temporary Protected Status designation for 18 months due to ongoing humanitarian crises under Maduro’s regime.
The U.S. reaffirmed its support for Venezuelans' democratic aspirations and called for political prisoners' release. It urged respect for freedoms of assembly and expression without fear of reprisal.
Sanctions were executed under Executive Order 13692 and expanded by Executive Order 13857 to include those acting on behalf of Venezuela’s government. For further details, refer to Treasury’s press release.
Temporary Protected Status applicants undergo thorough security checks during initial application and re-registration phases. Individuals posing threats may face detention or other legal actions.
