Marco Rubio says U.S. told Venezuela acting govt Machado "should be allowed to return unperturbed"

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington had told Venezuela’s acting government well before María Corina Machado’s trip that the opposition figure should be able to re-enter her homeland. Rubio said Delcy Rodríguez’s administration responded that Machado could enter, and Machado returned Sunday after spending much of 2025 in hiding in Venezuela and later leaving for Norway, where she received the Nobel Peace Prize. Her trip followed a recent agreement between Venezuelan authorities and opposition groups on a framework for elections planned for 2027. Rubio said the U.S. would monitor compliance and press the acting government to proceed responsibly. The U.S. captured former President Nicolás Maduro in January and brought him to face drug-trafficking charges; Rodríguez has stayed in office beyond her authorized period, with no election date set.