Caracas, Venezuela — Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president, has been removed from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list. 

Her name had been on the list since 2018, when as vice president, authorities identified her as one of the figures who contributed to undermining democracy in the South American country.

The decision was made nearly three months after Nicolás Maduro’s capture in an operation carried out in Caracas by U.S. military personnel.

Her removal represents another sign of rapprochement between Rodríguez and the Trump administration in their attempts to normalize relations between the two countries. Just this week, the U.S. announced it had reopened its embassy in Caracas after nearly seven years. 

In the post on X, Rodríguez applauded the action taken by Trump and said she hopes future sanctions against the country will be lifted. “This will allow for rapid economic development, investment, and an effective bilateral cooperation agenda for the benefit of our peoples. Let’s keep working for a prosperous Venezuela for all!” she said.

How did the sanctions affect Delcy Rodríguez?

Sanctions against the Chavista leader functioned as a personal blockade that paralyzed her ability to interact with the Western financial system.

Because she was included on the Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers, also known as the Clinton List, she was prohibited from conducting any type of commercial or financial transaction with U.S. citizens or companies. 

This meant not only the freezing of any accounts or properties under U.S. jurisdiction, but also the inability to use basic services such as international credit cards or U.S.-based software platforms.

Furthermore, the sanctions affected her in the diplomatic and mobility spheres, as they barred her from entering U.S. territory and restricted her travel through other countries that have law enforcement cooperation agreements with Washington.

Sanctions are a hot-button issue among Venezuelans. 

The government claims they have been the main cause of the crisis in the country due to the restrictions they have imposed. However, many citizens and NGOs believe that even before the sanctions were imposed, the nation was already facing serious problems due to mismanagement by the authorities.

Featured image: Delcy Rodriguez.

Image credit: Government of Russia via Wikimedia Commons