A large crowd of Venezuelans, Venezuelan-Americans, and anti-socialist supporters gathered on Tuesday at the United Nations’ Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to protest the presence of Nicolás Maduro’s protege, and current “interim president” of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez at the General Assembly.
The crowd of dozens waved Venezuelan flags, held up protest signs against Rodríguez and what is left of the illegitimate Maduro regime, and emphasized that Rodríguez and her cohort do not represent the Venezuelan people. Some in the crowd also expressed concern about an agreement Rodríguez arranged with the government of President Donald Trump to share in the development of Venezuela’s oil resources, suggesting the regime would eventually break any promises it made to Washington.
Rodríguez arrived in New York in her capacity as “interim president” of the country to attend the General Assembly’s “general debate,” an annual event in which the heads of state of all U.N. member nations are invited to deliver a speech on a topic of their choosing to their international peers.
Demonstrators protest against Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly, in Caracas on September 22, 2026. (Federico PARRA / AFP via Getty Images)
Due to his status as a wanted narco-terrorist and criminal, Maduro skipped the past several iterations of the General Assembly debate, though he is currently present in Brooklyn, in prison awaiting trial on charges of drug trafficking and support for terrorism. Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were arrested in Caracas in January by a special U.S. military team and are expected to face trial in June 2027.
What remains of the Maduro administration, under Rodríguez, has been cooperating with the Trump administration, making sporadic announcements of the release of limited numbers of political prisoners and expanding resource cooperation. In August, the U.S. government announced that it had signed an agreement with the undead chavista regime that would result in America gaining control of substantial amounts of Venezuela’s oil reserves. In exchange, Washington has tentatively agreed not to engage in further arrests of senior chavista officials implicated in drug trafficking, such as “interior minister” Diosdado Cabello, or in human rights abuses, such as Rodríguez.
The Venezuelans in New York on Tuesday objected to the United Nations welcoming Rodríguez as a representative of the Venezuelan people, insisting that the country deserves free and fair elections to choose a legitimate leader, particularly after Maduro clung to power through several sham “elections.”
The crowd chanted slogans such as “freedom,” and “Delcy, we swear it, you’re going to Brooklyn with Maduro!” Signs reading “stop normalizing a mafia state” and other condemnations of the socialists were plentiful alongside Venezuelan flags.
One of the protesters attending the event, identified as Erick Rozo, told Telemundo that the objective of the protest was “absolute, total rejection” of a continued existence of socialist chavismo, as well as to remind “people of the continued and constant violations of human rights that our people continue to suffer.”
Addressing President Trump, Rozo said he “respectfully” warned the U.S. government, “you do not do business with criminals.”
“Sooner or later they will bite your hand,” Rozo predicted.
Similarly, protesters speaking to media outside the event lamented that the oil deal, while potentially lucrative for both countries, was “in the wrong hands.”
“The oil agreement that the United States is doing with Venezuela is a blessing, to me it seems very good,” one protester told reporters, “but it is in the wrong hands because anything that Delcy Rodríguez signs is not legal” as she is not a legitimate head of state.
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper ABC, one unidentified protester expressed gratitude to Trump for ordering the arrest of Maduro, but lamented that he had left “the 40 thieves” in power, comparing Maduro to the fictional character Ali Baba.
Rodríguez and her entourage arrived in New York on Monday and attended the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Her limited time in America has been turbulent, as Venezuelan-Americans, their allies, and journalists have confronted her about the murderous regime she inherited from Maduro and her current relationship with the jailed dictator, receiving little response.
Asked on Monday if she would make a quick trip to Brooklyn to see her former boss, Rodríguez refused to answer, walking by the inquiring journalists.
The “interim president” herself was present for President Donald Trump’s address to the forum, in which he celebrated the arrest of her former mentor Maduro as a win for the free world and declared of Venezuela’s oil, “to the victor belong the spoils.”
“To the victor belong the spoils,” President Trump stated. “You all heard that. Our actions in Venezuela are proof the United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western hemisphere and if necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to secure the vital national interests of the United States.”
Rodríguez is expected to address the General Assembly on Wednesday evening.
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