Armed Civilians Reportedly Stopping Vehicles In Venezuela And Searching For Shows Of U.S. Support

Armed civilians are setting roadblocks in Caracas and stopping vehicles to search for shows of support for the United States, according to a new report.

NTN24 reported that the groups, known as Colectivos in Venezuela, have a license to use weapons and basically "operate with free reign" in the country.

The development comes as the Venezuelan regime, now led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez following the capture of Nicolas Maduro, issued a decree ordering police to "immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack" by the Trump administration.

Reuters noted that the decree has been in effect since Saturday but was published in full on Monday.

The decree comes even as Rodriguez called on the U.S. to "work jointly on a cooperation agenda" and appealed for peace and dialogue after assuming the role following the capture of Maduro.

In a message published Sunday on her official social media channels, Rodríguez said Venezuela's priority was to pursue "balanced and respectful international relations" with the United States and other countries in the region, based on "sovereign equality and non-interference." She said the government is prepared to collaborate with Washington on an agenda "oriented toward shared development, within the framework of international law."

"President Donald Trump: our peoples and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war," Rodríguez wrote, adding that Venezuela "has the right to peace, development, sovereignty and a future." She described peace as essential not only for Venezuela but for regional and global stability.

Rodríguez's statement came a day after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered her to assume the presidency on an interim basis following the aforementioned operation that captured not only Maduro but his wife, Cilia Flores, and included airstrikes in Caracas and nearby states.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on his end, has said the administration will judge Rodriguez based on her actions.

The administration has so far not propped up opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, with The Washington Post claiming that it is because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump has long wanted for himself.

One person close to the White House told The Washington Post that Machado's acceptance of the award was the "ultimate sin" for Trump. "If she had turned it down and said, 'I can't accept it because it's Donald Trump's,' she'd be the president of Venezuela today," the person added.