Venezuela Operation and U.S. Policy

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., says she has contacted the State Department, White House and Secretary of State after learning that one of her constituents, identified in local reports as James Luckey‑Lange, may have been unlawfully detained by the Venezuelan government since traveling there in December, prior to Nicolás Maduro’s U.S.‑led ouster. Her office says the State Department, which has long warned Americans not to travel to Venezuela due to a high risk of wrongful detention, is now in touch with the family and working to confirm his status as Malliotakis urges the administration to use its 'leverage' in post‑raid Venezuela to secure his release.