Washington, D.C., Sept. 3 — On Jan. 3, 2026, the Trump administration carried out one of the most brazen acts of imperialist aggression in Latin America in decades. U.S. forces invaded Venezuela and seized its elected president, Nicolás Maduro, and Cilia Flores. Both are now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Their detention is illegal. Their abduction is an attack not only on Venezuela, but on the right of every nation to determine its own future free from Washington’s interference.
Across the United States, solidarity organizations have marked the third day of each month with protests demanding the immediate freedom of Maduro and Flores. On September 3 at 5 p.m., representatives of organizations gathered outside the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., to raise that demand and expose the criminal violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty.
The action brought together representatives of: National Lawyers Guild; Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition; Black Alliance for Peace; Sanctions Kill/Americas Without Sanctions; Peoples Power Assembly; Friends of Latin America; CODEPINK; Venezuela Solidarity Network; Struggle for Socialism Party; CPUSA Baltimore Club; National Network on Cuba.
Andrew Matatag, representing Friends of Latin America, Peoples Power Assembly, and the Struggle for Socialism Party, explained why the protest was necessary: “We came out to demand the release of Maduro and Flores because it is crucial to show that there is opposition to the U.S. violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty. Maduro did not come from a political elite in Venezuela. He started his career as a bus driver and unionist. He is one of us.”
Matatag also served as a Venezuelan election observer during the 2018 elections.
Who are President Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores?
Nicolas Maduro began his working life as a bus operator and trade union organizer in Caracas, experiences that grounded him in the daily struggles of working people. Through years of organizing and political work, he became a key figure in the Bolivarian movement. Maduro was elected to the National Assembly in 2000 and later served as foreign minister, helping build alliances opposed to U.S. influence. In 2012, Chávez appointed him vice president and publicly named him as his successor. Following Chávez’s death in 2013, Maduro won a closely contested presidential election. Washington refused to accept the result and has since treated his presidency as illegitimate.
Cilia Flores is a Venezuelan political leader in her own right, not merely defined by her marriage to the president. A trained lawyer, she rose through Venezuela’s political institutions to become president of the National Assembly. She later served as attorney general and became a senior leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). A staunch defender of the Bolivarian Revolution, Flores helped keep the legislature functioning following the 2002 coup attempt against Hugo Chávez. Rejecting the ceremonial title of “First Lady,” she calls herself the “First Revolutionary Combatant”—a title that reflects her view of herself as an active participant in political struggle rather than a symbolic accessory.
Stand with Venezuela
The imprisonment of Maduro and Flores is part of a broader campaign to impose U.S. control over Venezuela and its political future. It is a warning to every nation and movement that refuses to submit to Washington’s demands.
That is why solidarity matters. On the third of every month, people across the country are taking to the streets to demand: Free Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
End the assault on Venezuela. Respect Venezuela’s sovereignty.
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