State Department Reopens Embassy in Venezuela Following Maduro Capture
For the first time in seven years, the United States Embassy in Venezuela is open.
The reopening of the embassy in Caracas took place Monday, less than three months after the January operation that removed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, according to The Associated Press.
The building needed numerous repairs after being closed for so long, including remediation of mold.
“Today, we are formally resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, marking a new chapter in our diplomatic presence in Venezuela,” the State Department announced in a news release.
‘The resumption of operations at U.S. Embassy Caracas is a key milestone in implementing the President’s three‑phase plan for Venezuela and will strengthen our ability to engage directly with Venezuela’s interim government, civil society, and the private sector,” the release said.
In comments published by the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. efforts to lift Venezuela from the days of the Maduro dictatorship are progressing.
“I think it’s moving along very well. We said it from the very first day after that operation happened. I said our hope is, number one, to stabilize the country,” Rubio said.
SECRETARY RUBIO: You’re seeing civil life come back to life in Venezuela. Independent media is now allowed to operate. Political prisoners have been released. Political parties are forming again. People are speaking and participating in public life. pic.twitter.com/6RfexVkyGo
— Department of State (@StateDept) March 30, 2026
“We didn’t want to see civil war. We didn’t want to see systemic collapse. We didn’t want to see a mass migration event. You’ve seen none of these things,” he said.
Rubio said Venezuela is slowly awakening from its nightmare.
“What you’ve seen is that for the first time in decades, Venezuela is now selling their oil in the global market at full market price, and the money is coming back to Venezuela and being spent for the benefit of the Venezuelan people,” he said.
“It’s being spent to buy medical goods and equipment. It’s being spent to cover the salaries of teachers and police officers and civil servants and people that – sanitation workers and things of this nature. So it’s a very important part,” Rubio said.
Rubio said progress is coming step by step.
“The second phase after the stabilization occurs, or concurrent with the stabilization, is a period of recovery in which you try to recover the elements of the country that allow it to prosper and grow, and that is attracting businesses back, creating the kind of stability that brings businesses back. We’re seeing that begin to happen,” he said.
“But you’re also seeing civil life come back to life. Independent media is now allowed to operate. Political prisoners have been released. Political parties are forming again. People are speaking and participating in public life,” he said.
“And finally, you want to see a full transition, because in order for Venezuela to fulfill its economic potential, it has to have a stable, democratic government that people are willing to invest in that economy because they know that they’re protected by laws and courts and legitimacy,” he said.
Rubio said officials running the country have become solid partners.
“So we are well on our way to achieving this. A lot of credit goes to the interim authorities who have assumed this responsibility. We’ve reopened our embassy. We enter in dialogue with them every single day. We feel very positive about it,” he said.
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