Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, team detained in Venezuela, network says - Fox News

Univision anchor Jorge Ramos and members of his team were detained and later released, in Caracas, Venezuela by President Nicolas Maduro on Monday during an interview in which the embattled president "didn't like the questions" being asked, the network said on Twitter.

Daniel Coronell, the president of news for Univision in the U.S., tweeted just before 9 p.m. ET on Monday that Ramos and his team were released, but their technical equipment, along with interview material that Maduro disliked, were confiscated.

Univison said earlier Monday that Ramos and his crew were "arbitrarily detained at the Miraflores Palace" because Maduro "didn't like their questions" they were asking him.

The State Department confirmed on Twitter that Ramos and his team were "being held against their will at Miraflores Palace by Nicolas Maduro," and urged him to immediately release them.

Ramos, according to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was seemingly able to call Univision to explain what was happening "when the phone was taken from him & the call ended."

During a visit to the Colombia border city of Cucuta last week, Rubio warned Venezuelan soldiers that they would commit a "crime against humanity" if they blocked the entry of U.S. aid being channeled through rivals of Maduro.

"This is an arrogant regime that feels invulnerable & is now acting with total impunity," Rubio tweeted in response to Ramos and his team's detainment.

Maduro, who began his second term as president in January, is not recognized by the U.S. or dozens of other countries as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

The U.S. and other nations have demanded Maduro step down and have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader. Venezuelans also have staged large protests to pressure Maduro to leave.

Vice President Mike Pence on Monday urged a 14-nation coalition of Latin American nations and Canada to freeze the assets of Venezuela's state-owned oil company in response to violent clashes between security forces and opposition members over blocked humanitarian aid.

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Speaking in Colombia, Pence repeated President Trump’s threat that “all options are on the table” to push out Maduro.

"It's time to do more," the vice president said. "The day is coming soon when Venezuela's long nightmare will end, when Venezuela will once more be free, when her people will see a new birth of freedom, in a nation reborn to libertad."

This is a developing story; please check back for updates.

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