U.S. Notifies Congress on Phased Reopening of Caracas Embassy

The Trump administration has informed Congress of initial steps toward potentially reopening the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, as part of efforts to restore diplomatic relations following a U.S. military operation that removed former President Nicolás Maduro from power on January 1. The State Department notice, dated Monday and sent to 10 House and Senate committees, outlines a phased approach to resuming operations at the facility, which has been closed since 2019.

In the notification, the department stated, "We are writing to notify the committee of the Department of State’s intent to implement a phased approach to potentially resume Embassy Caracas operations." The first phase involves deploying a regular contingent of temporary staffers to perform select diplomatic functions, including security and management duties. These personnel would initially focus on limited tasks before expanding to consular, political, economic, and public diplomacy roles. The staffers are expected to live and work in a temporary facility while the existing embassy compound undergoes upgrades to meet operational standards.

The move comes shortly after a small team from the Venezuela Affairs...