Maduro Arrives in New York: Now in Federal Custody at MDC Brooklyn

He's here.

Nicolás Maduro touched down at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County, New York, this evening. From there, he was helicoptered into Manhattan, processed at the DEA's New York Division office, and transported by motorcade to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The helicopter convoy flew past the Statue of Liberty on the way.

This morning, I wrote about the Ker-Frisbie doctrine and what it means for Maduro's prosecution. Now the man at the center of those legal questions is sitting in a Brooklyn jail cell. Here's what happened since that piece went live.

The Arrival

After being captured in Caracas and transported to the USS Iwo Jima, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were flown to Stewart Air National Guard Base aboard a Department of Justice aircraft. Photos and video show him surrounded by FBI and DEA agents as he was escorted across the tarmac in dark clothing.

From Stewart, helicopters carried the couple into Manhattan, landing at the West Side Heliport. A motorcade of black SUVs and federal vehicles then transported them to the DEA's New York Division office for processing. The White House posted video of what it called a "perp walk," showing Maduro, handcuffed and wearing a dark hoodie, walking down a hallway with a blue carpet labeled "DEA NYD."

In the video, Maduro attempts to speak English to agents before catching himself and asking in Spanish, "Es buenas noches, no?" It was.

MDC Brooklyn

Shortly before 9 PM, the motorcade delivered Maduro to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. A massive crowd had gathered outside, many waving Venezuelan and American flags, some cheering, some jeering. Heavy law enforcement presence surrounded the facility.

MDC Brooklyn is the only federal detention center in New York City. It's where El Chapo was held. Where Diddy was held. Where Ghislaine Maxwell, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Michael Cohen were held before trial. It's also where Luigi Mangione is currently awaiting trial for the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO.

A former Bureau of Prisons official told reporters she expects Maduro will be held in a special housing unit, separated from general population, given the security concerns. The facility has "substantial experience with high-profile defendants," she said.

It's also the facility that's been called "hell on earth" due to conditions that have prompted some federal judges to refuse sending defendants there. But that's a conversation for another day.

What Comes Next

Arraignment is expected as early as Monday in Manhattan federal court, Southern District of New York. Maduro faces narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons charges. His wife and son are also named in the superseding indictment.

Top criminal defense attorneys are already angling for the case. The legal questions I outlined this morning are about to get real, fast. How will Maduro's lawyers challenge the capture? Will they invoke head of state immunity? Will they argue the invasion "shocks the conscience" under Ker-Frisbie exceptions? Will the Southern District even entertain those arguments?

We'll find out soon.

The World Is Watching

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado called this "the hour of freedom." Thousands of Venezuelan expats danced in the streets from Miami to Madrid. Trump says the U.S. will "run the country" until a transition happens.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez insists Maduro is still the only legitimate president. Protests formed in Times Square and outside the White House condemning the action. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it "an act of war."

None of that changes what's happening right now in a federal detention center in Brooklyn. The legal machinery has started. The constitutional questions I raised this morning are no longer theoretical. They're sitting in a cell at MDC Brooklyn waiting for Monday.

If you haven't read the deep dive on the Ker-Frisbie doctrine and what it means for this case, start there. That's the framework. This is the update.

Stay tuned. History is happening.