US diplomats return to Caracas to assess reopening embassy after Maduro ouster

Antonio María Delgado, Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald on Jan 9, 2026

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U.S. State Department officials, including the interim U.S. ambassador to Colombia, John T. McNamara, traveled to Venezuela on Friday for the first time since strongman Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in his residence in Caracas, as Washington weighs reopening its embassy in Caracas after nearly six years.

The visit reflects the Trump administration’s efforts to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Venezuela following Maduro’s removal and comes as President Donald Trump has said the United States intends to play a central role in the country’s transition and reconstruction.

McNamara is also the head of the Venezuelan Affairs Unit, VAU, which has been operating out of the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá since the U.S. withdrew its diplomats from Venezuela in 2019.

“On January 9, U.S. diplomatic and security personnel from the VAU, including Chargé d’Affaires John T. McNamara, traveled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The United States withdrew its diplomats and suspended embassy operations in 2019 after Maduro’s government severed diplomatic ties in response to Washington’s recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president. Since then, U.S. diplomatic engagement with Venezuela has been handled from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá.

In a statement, the socialist regime in Caracas, now led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez, confirmed Friday that they were in “exploratory” talks for the reopening of the embassies in Caracas and Washington as a needed step to address “the aggression and kidnapping of the President of the Republic and the first lady, and to address issues of mutual interests.” The statement also said that a Venezuelan delegation will travel to the United States with similar purposes.

Against the backdrop of the visit is the fate of at least five Americans who have been recently detained in Venezuela as the Trump administration was building up a military force off the coast of the South American country.

On Thursday, Venezuelan interim authorities announced they were releasing prisoners, including foreigners, as a goodwill gesture. So far, the government has released a few prisoners, including five Spanish and two Italian citizens. Some of them were Venezuelans with dual nationality, like the politician Biagio Pilieri and the activist Rocío San Miguel.

The State Department has not said if the Americans will be released. In a social media post announcing that Venezuelan interim authorities were releasing “large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of ‘Seeking Peace,’” Trump did not mention the Americans detained.

Though it is still unclear if Rodriguez’s government will free over 800 people considered political prisoners by Foro Penal, an organization tracking arbitrary arrests in Venezuela, events are unfolding fast after the U.S. military raid to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

On Thursday, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the United States will immediately begin selling between 30 and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil as part of a plan under which the U.S. would market the oil and control how the proceeds are used. In Caracas, Rodríguez met with some members of minority opposition parties in the National Assembly.

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