Venezuela Now Hunting Supporters of Maduro's U.S. Capture

Object lesson: When a corrupt government falls, every remaining aspect of that government has to be pulled out, root and branch, and every member of that illegitimate government, at the minimum, removed from any government role. And there just aren't many governments more illegitimate than the rule of Venezuela by the thug-dictator Nicolás Maduro. Now the top man and his wife are facing federal charges in the United States, but his illegal junta is still in charge of the South American nation, and already, they are seeking reprisals against anyone in Venezuela who may have supported the American raid.

Venezuelan authorities have been ordered to find and arrest anyone involved in supporting the military operation that led to the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
A state of emergency decree issued Saturday, but published Monday, orders police to "immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States," according to the text of the decree, Reuters reported.
It was not clear what charges could be levied against those taken into custody.

Kangaroo courts don't really need to specify legal charges; they can invent them. That's if the remnants of the Maduro regime even bother with a trial, should they capture anyone who may (or may not; corrupt governments usually paint with a very broad brush in these sorts of things) be involved with the American operation.

Here's the onion:

In Maduro's absence, Delcy Rodríguez, his former number two, has been sworn in as the interim president of Venezuela. Rodriguez, 56, has long been a confidant and backer of Maduro.
She was the country's vice president from 2018 through Sunday.
Despite denouncing the U.S. military operation, Rodriguez said in a Sunday social media post that the country aspires towards balanced and respectful international relations between Caracas and Washington.

Venezuela could swear in a capybara as president, and it wouldn't be any more legal than swearing in a member of a government that refused to accept the results of an election and remained in power regardless of the obvious will of the Venezuelan people. Delcy Rodríguez, yes, has been sworn in as "interim" president, but it would seem to accomplish little to remove Maduro and leave his #2 in charge.

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As for this crackdown: The Maduro regime used armed, civilian paramilitaries, called colectivos, to crack down on protests while Nicolás Maduro was still in power; it's not at all unlikely that these same regime loyalists may be used to round up any suspected American sympathizers. Although, those groups have gone surprisingly quiet for the moment.

Government officials who are still in power are probably eager to show the Trump administration that they can maintain order, and do not want images of chaos in the streets, said Alejandro Velasco, a Latin America historian at New York University, who is Venezuelan. Their only bargaining chip to stay in power is the ability to keep the peace, he said.
“I have to imagine colectivos have been given the order to lay low,” Mr. Velasco said.
Venezuela has long used the armed civilians to fight back against protesters. They have been known to work alongside police or military forces with no consequences for the excessive or even fatal force often used.

These people are pretty much the only Venezuelans not in the military or police who are allowed to bear arms, so it's not like they could encounter much resistance.

We already know the solution to all this. The 2024 election was won, almost certainly, by opposition candidate Edmundo González. Two things must happen: Let Edmundo González take the role as interim president, and organize and hold new elections as quickly as that can happen.

Also, disarm and disband the colectivos. A legitimate government doesn't require bands of armed thugs to do its bidding.

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