Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday, 4 January, said the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “could send troubling signals to the international community.”

Marcos issued the statement following the announcement by Donald Trump that Maduro and his wife were captured early Saturday, 3 January, during what the US leader described as a “large-scale strike” in Venezuela.

The senator said the situation in Venezuela “underscores long-standing concerns regarding the role of major powers in the internal affairs of states they consider strategically important.”

She noted that the United States has, at various points in history, been associated with policies supporting political transitions or leadership changes in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Panama, Nicaragua, and the Philippines.

The Trump administration has previously accused Maduro of drug trafficking — claims the Venezuelan leader has repeatedly denied—while also alleging that Washington intends to take control of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

“The removal or extraction of a foreign leader from his home country may raise serious questions under international law and could send troubling signals to the international community, potentially reinforcing perceptions that power, rather than rules, determines outcomes in global affairs,” Marcos said.

Maduro was brought to the United States to face several charges, including narco-terrorism, and is expected to appear before a Manhattan federal court next week.