Caracas, Venezuela—— Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has been removed from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions list.
Her name has been on the list since 2018, when she was vice president and was identified by authorities as one of those undermining democracy in the South American country.
The decision comes nearly three months after U.S. military personnel captured Nicolás Maduro during an operation in Caracas.
Her removal is another sign of rapprochement between Rodriguez and the Trump administration as it attempts to normalize relations between the two countries. Just this week, the United States announced it would reopen its embassy in Caracas after nearly seven years.
exist Post on XRodriguez applauded Trump's actions and said she hoped sanctions on the country would be lifted in the future. “This will promote rapid economic development, investment and an effective bilateral cooperation agenda that benefits our peoples. Let us continue to work for a prosperous Venezuela for all!” she said.
How will sanctions affect Delcy Rodriguez?
Sanctions on leader Chavez acted as a personal blockade, paralyzing her ability to interact with the Western financial system.
Because she is on the list of Specially Designated Drug Dealers, also known as the Clinton List, she is prohibited from conducting any type of business or financial transactions with U.S. citizens or companies.
Not only does this mean that any accounts or property within U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, it also means that basic services such as international credit cards or U.S. software platforms cannot be used.
Additionally, the sanctions affect her areas of diplomacy and human mobility, as they prohibit her from entering U.S. territory and restrict her travel through other countries with which Washington has signed law enforcement cooperation agreements.
Sanctions are a hot-button issue for Venezuelans.
The government claims that they are the main cause of the crisis in the country due to the restrictions they impose. However, many citizens and NGOs believe that even before the sanctions were imposed, the country was already facing serious problems due to mismanagement by the authorities.
Featured image: Delcy Rodriguez.
Image source: Russian Government via Wikimedia Commons
