Washington Names New Top Venezuela Envoy

Laura Dogu, who has previously served as U.S. ambassador to both Honduras and Nicaragua, has been named chargé d'affaires to the Venezuela Affairs Unit.

People display portraits of political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas on Jan. 13, 2026. Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

The United States has named a new top envoy for Venezuela, according to the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

Two-time ambassador Laura Dogu will serve as chargé d'affaires to the Venezuela Affairs Unit, based at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has not been operational since 2019, when the U.S. State Department withdrew all diplomatic personnel.

Venezuela is listed by the United States as “Level 4: Do Not Travel,” the highest advisory level. This rating is because of “severe risks to Americans, including wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure,” according to the U.S. Embassy.

Dogu takes up the role after the United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and brought him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.

She previously served as ambassador to both Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as working in Mexico, Turkey, Egypt, and El Salvador.

In addition to her role as chargé d'affaires, she will serve as foreign policy adviser to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.

Dogu’s appointment follows assertions by President Donald Trump on Jan. 22 that the United States would start drilling for oil in Venezuela “very soon,” announcing that more than 50 million barrels were already moving to America as part of a deal following the removal of Maduro.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Trump indicated U.S. companies would soon ramp up operations in the South American nation, which boasts the world’s largest proven oil reserves but has seen production plummet under socialist rule.

“We are going to start drilling very soon. We have the biggest companies in the world, and they are going to go in. They are all negotiating now,” Trump said.

He added that Venezuela would make a lot of money from oil production, as would the United States.

The president told reporters that the United States is already taking in Venezuelan oil.

“We’re moving in, you know, to the United States, millions of barrels of oil as we speak,” he said.

“Over 50 million barrels of oil is already moved or moving into the United States and much more to come.

“And we’re working with them ... and it’ll be divided up, and our country will become richer, and that means our taxes are going to be going down, and they will do better. Venezuela is going to do better than they’ve ever done.”

Trump expressed optimism about interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez, whom he described as showing “very strong leadership.”

“So if that continues even with us, you know, taking a very fair piece of it, Venezuela will do better by far than they’ve ever done, going to be very rich, and she has done a very good job,” he said, referring to Rodriguez.

Back on Capitol Hill, the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 22 narrowly defeated a Democratic resolution that would have limited Trump’s ability to use the military in Venezuela.

The vote on the measure, which would have restricted military activity in the region through the use of a War Powers Act resolution, ended in a 215–215 tie.

The War Powers Resolution would have directed Trump to remove U.S. troops from the country.

The Trump administration told senators last week that there are no U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela and committed to getting congressional approval before launching major military operations there.

A similar measure also failed narrowly last week in the Senate.

Kimberly Hayek and Joseph Lord contributed to this report.