US diplomats return to Caracas to assess reopening embassy after Maduro

Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald on Jan 9, 2026

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A U.S. State Department team 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, first reported by CNN, reflects the Trump administration’s efforts to reestablish 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.

Diplomatic and security personnel from the U.S. Venezuela Affairs Unit, which has been operating out of Colombia, traveled to Caracas along with the acting U.S. ambassador to Colombia, John McNamara. The team conducted an initial assessment to determine whether U.S. operations could resume in phases at the site of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

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.

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