Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is facing a new legal challenge in the United States after the families of five Venezuelan men filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of overseeing a Venezuelan police unit responsible for extrajudicial killings and torture during his presidency.

The complaint alleges Maduro created Venezuela’s Special Action Forces, known as FAES, and exercised command over the unit as it allegedly carried out a campaign of extrajudicial killings between 2017 and 2021. The families are seeking compensatory and punitive damages under the Torture Victim Protection Act.

The lawsuit opens a second legal front for Maduro in the United States, where he is already awaiting trial on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges. The complaint says venue is proper in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York because Maduro is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

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According to the complaint, FAES officers routinely entered homes before dawn wearing black clothing and face coverings, separated young men from their families, forced many to their knees, executed them and then staged crime scenes to make it appear the victims had «resisted authority.» Plaintiffs also allege officers looted homes, planted weapons and transported victims to hospitals after they had already died in an effort to conceal the alleged killings.

The lawsuit details five incidents between 2017 and 2021 involving six victims and also accuses FAES officers of torturing three relatives by beating, detaining or forcing them to witness the killings before they were denied justice through Venezuela’s judicial system.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs, Maduro’s attorney Barry Pollack and Amnesty International did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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A courtroom sketch shows ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with his wife, Cilia Flores, Flores’ lawyer, Mark Donnelly, and Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, as they attend a hearing in a narco-terrorism case accusing him of running a cartel of Venezuelan officials that flooded the U.S. with cocaine, at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Court House in New York City, U.S., March 26, 2026. (Jane Rosenberg)

The lawsuit alleges Maduro established FAES in 2017 as a special tactical unit within Venezuela’s National Bolivarian Police and later publicly defended the force despite criticism from the United Nations and other human rights organizations. It cites reports from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the U.S. State Department documenting allegations of widespread human rights abuses by the unit.

The families argue they have been unable to obtain justice in Venezuela because prosecutors either refused to pursue investigations or failed to hold senior officials accountable, leaving them without an effective legal remedy in their home country.

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is arrested. (Fox Nation)

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The Torture Victim Protection Act allows civil claims in U.S. courts over alleged torture and extrajudicial killings committed under the authority of a foreign government.

Maduro served as Venezuela’s president from 2013 until 2026, according to the complaint. He has pleaded not guilty in his criminal case and has previously described himself as a «prisoner of war.»

A una semana de los terremotos que devastaron gran parte de La Guaira, miles de personas continúan viviendo en refugios improvisados instalados en escuelas, polideportivos, estadios y otros espacios públicos. Allí, la rutina transcurre entre largas filas para recibir alimentos, colchones distribuidos sobre el piso, carpas levantadas de manera provisoria y la incertidumbre sobre cuándo podrán regresar a un hogar o acceder a una vivienda. Mientras siguen llegando donaciones de particulares, organizaciones humanitarias y gobiernos extranjeros, quienes permanecen en esos centros de acogida relatan que las necesidades diarias siguen siendo numerosas.

Uno de los principales refugios funciona en el Polideportivo José María Vargas, ubicado cerca del aeropuerto internacional de Maiquetía. Desde el día siguiente a los sismos, el complejo alberga a unas 1.700 personas que perdieron sus casas o no pueden regresar a ellas por los daños estructurales. En las canchas y espacios comunes se instalaron carpas y colchones, mientras un gran toldo protege a los residentes del intenso calor de la costa.

Entre ellos está Daniela Armas, de 18 años, quien asegura que conseguir comida se convirtió en una preocupación permanente desde que llegó al lugar.

“Aquí dan provisiones, pero a veces se matan por la comida (…), esto es como una gallera”, cuenta mientras espera recibir un sándwich y una manzana. Por las noches, explica, duerme por turnos junto a su novio para vigilar las pocas pertenencias que pudieron rescatar.

“Ayer se entraron a golpes, todo es una locura aquí, por eso es mejor evitar problemas”, afirma.

Las dificultades también alcanzan la distribución de la ayuda. Yohana Álvarez, otra de las personas alojadas en el polideportivo, sostiene que la organización cambió con el correr de los días.

“Al principio era todo muy bien, pero después empezó una mala organización que primero los propios militares agarraban sus cosas y después nosotros las sobras”, dice.

En otros sectores del refugio, las familias intentan adaptarse a una convivencia forzada con cientos de desconocidos. Albeth Chirinos comparte el espacio con su madre y relata que los horarios para recibir alimentos son irregulares. “A veces no comemos nada en el día, sino que vienen en la madrugada a darnos”, explica. Aun así, asegura que espera que continúe llegando asistencia. “Estamos aquí esperando que nos sigan apoyando”, agrega.

La situación se repite en otros puntos de La Guaira, donde miles de personas fueron trasladadas a instalaciones deportivas, escuelas, plazas y canchas luego del colapso de edificios y viviendas. En varios de esos lugares, organizaciones civiles y voluntarios distribuyen agua potable, ropa, medicamentos y alimentos mientras brindan atención médica básica.

La Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) considera que la emergencia todavía atraviesa una etapa centrada en la asistencia inmediata. “La situación es bastante crítica”, afirma Lia Poggio, jefa de la misión del organismo en Venezuela. Según explica, la prioridad consiste en garantizar ayuda básica y que los damnificados puedan acceder a servicios “de forma digna”.

La necesidad de coordinar la llegada de suministros también preocupa a las organizaciones que participan en la asistencia. Franco Chramosta, integrante de la fundación Maniapure, sostiene que la distribución debe organizarse para evitar desequilibrios entre los distintos refugios.

“Tenemos que coordinarnos para no saturar lugares”, señala. Al mismo tiempo, advierte que la emergencia continuará más allá de los primeros días. “Estamos preparándonos para lo que viene, y lo que viene no es fácil”, afirma.

En paralelo a los grandes refugios, algunas escuelas también fueron adaptadas para recibir a quienes perdieron sus viviendas. En la Escuela República de Panamá, otro de los centros de acogida habilitados en La Guaira, un grupo de jóvenes voluntarios administra un registro digital de los residentes y organiza la distribución de alimentos, atención médica, lavandería y alojamiento. Más de 350 personas permanecen allí y, en muchas aulas, conviven hasta tres familias.

Daniel Rivas, uno de los coordinadores del refugio, explica que el equipo trabaja de manera ininterrumpida y que incluso muchos de los voluntarios también quedaron sin vivienda tras los terremotos.

“Somos como el Titanic. Nos hundimos con el barco”, resume mientras revisa el registro de personas alojadas.

Sin embargo, no todos los refugios ofrecen las mismas condiciones. Geraldine Gómez, de la organización Plan International, advierte que varios centros carecen de espacios adecuados para mujeres y niños, además de instalaciones que permitan preservar la higiene o garantizar privacidad.

“No hay espacios separados para las madres, no hay espacios separados para los niños. Los niños no tienen un lugar para recrearse, para jugar, para conversar”, señala.

Mientras esperan definiciones sobre la reconstrucción de sus viviendas, muchas familias continúan llegando a los refugios después de pasar varios días junto a los escombros buscando a familiares desaparecidos o intentando recuperar algunas pertenencias.

“Siento que todavía tengo el terremoto dentro de mí. Ojalá pudiera volver a mi casa”, dice Deisy Tapias, alojada junto a dos de sus hijos en una escuela convertida en refugio. Su departamento quedó prácticamente destruido y ahora espera información sobre los programas oficiales de asistencia para quienes lo perdieron todo.

FIRST ON FOX: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ramping up arrests as a Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship delivered a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to curb immigration policy.

Fox News Digital obtained figures from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) source that showed more than 10,000 arrests have been made in the last five days alone.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, upholding the long-standing policy that most children who are born in the U.S. will automatically become citizens, even if the child’s parents are living in the country illegally.

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A source familiar with ICE operations said the agency is currently ramping up operations using funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill as the passage of the legislation nears its one-year anniversary.

The court cited the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution as the basis for the decision, saying «Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause.»

Trump punched back at the ruling, urging Congress to amend the Constitution to pave a path to abolishing birthright citizenship.

The U.S Supreme Court is seen on June 25, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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«No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship,» Trump posted on Truth Social. «They will have my Complete and Total Support!»

As ICE seeks to increase arrests, agitators have been mobilizing across the country, demanding better living conditions for those detained in federal facilities and calling for reforms to ICE operational protocols.

In late May, agitators flooded the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, in a violent clash between rioters and ICE agents alongside local law enforcement officers.

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A Fox News Digital investigation, based on reporting from the ground in Newark, in secret Signal group chats, a number of tax filings, strategy documents, and social media posts, found that the protests outside Delaney Hall were not a spontaneous grassroots uprising. Instead, they were the product of years of coordinated planning by a network of well-funded, highly organized groups that used a local controversy as a platform to challenge federal immigration policies and, more broadly, the United States.

The network behind the Delaney Hall protests includes about 100 groups, some of them big names like the ACLU, Indivisible and Democratic Socialists of America. Together, these organizations report collective annual revenues of about $825 million, approximately equal to the annual budget of Newark.

Agitators toss mattresses and other objects at ICE agents during a May 27, 2026, protest at Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey. (Oliya Scootercaster/FreedomNewsTV)

Despite the organized resistance, ICE operations continued, and DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement that a majority of arrests involve illegal migrants who have previously been charged or convicted of a crime.

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«Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists,» Bis explained.

«Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. More than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country and counting. Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you,» she added.