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Mérida, March 31, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government has officially retaken control of its diplomatic headquarters in Washington, DC, as part of the two countries’ diplomatic rapprochement.

The move followed days of high-level activity in the US capital by a Venezuelan delegation with the aim of rehabilitating consular services for hundreds of thousands of nationals residing in the United States.

On Thursday, Venezuelan officials re-hoisted the national flag at the diplomatic mission buildings, which had been under the “temporary control” of the US State Department since 2023.

The properties, including the embassy in Georgetown and the ambassador’s residence, were previously handed over to the self-proclaimed “interim government” led by Juan Guaidó after the first Trump administration recognized it as Venezuela’s legitimate authority in 2019. The Venezuelan embassy was forcefully taken over by security forces after a group of solidarity activists attempted to defend it from the US-backed hardline opposition.

Caracas’ delegation, sent by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, was led by Félix Plasencia, Venezuela’s Chargé d’Affaires to the US, and Oliver Blanco, Vice-Minister for Europe and North America. The group inspected the facilities, and Plasencia confirmed that the buildings would undergo an immediate “rehabilitation process” to resume institutional functions.

“This is a significant achievement in the protection of our national assets,” Plasencia stated via social media, sharing images of the Venezuelan flag outside diplomatic venues.

“We are working to reinstate these spaces as a service to all Venezuelan citizens, to support them in their consular needs, the authentication of their identity documents, and the protection of their rights abroad,” he added.

According to Blanco, the delegation held meetings with several State Department officials last week with the purpose of “exploring opportunities to strengthen the bond between both nations” and establishing a permanent presence to address bilateral interests, specifically in trade, migration, and energy.

Venezuela’s retaking of its diplomatic facilities on US soil was made possible by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issuing General License 53.

The sanctions waiver allows the provision of goods and services to Venezuela’s diplomatic missions, allowing them to engage in financial transactions to ensure the normal functioning of consular activities.

Since 2019, Venezuelans residing in the US have faced hurdles to access official channels for passport renewal and birth certificate issuance, and have been forced to seek alternative solutions through third-country consulates or by utilizing expired documentation. 

Venezuelan migrants have also been heavily targeted by the Trump administration’s anti-migration crackdown, with hundreds of thousands placed at risk of deportation with the suspension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and the CHNV parole program. US and Venezuelan authorities presently coordinate three weekly deportation flights.

Caracas and Washington fast-tracked a diplomatic re-engagement in the wake of the January 3 military attack that saw US special forces kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. The pair is currently facing charges including drug trafficking conspiracy.

The two countries formalized the reestablishment of diplomatic ties on March 5 following a seven-year hiatus. Days later, the Trump administration recognized Rodríguez as Venezuela’s “sole” authority. On Monday, the US State Department announced the reopening of the US embassy in Caracas.

Since January, the acting president has hosted multiple White House officials who have praised her government’s pro-business reforms in the energy and mining sectors. For her part, Rodríguez has defended diplomacy and the prospect of “mutually beneficial” relations with the US.

“Faith diplomacy” gathering

The Rodríguez administration’s outreach to the US recently included a high-profile “faith diplomacy” gathering with evangelical pastors. Venezuelan authorities stated that the meeting aimed to promote “peace and spiritual union.”

The Friday event in the Poliedro in Caracas featured prominent international religious figures alongside Venezuelan cabinet members and the national evangelical community. The guest of honor was Pastor Ramiro Abel Peña Jr., a key figure in the “Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships” during Trump’s first term and a current spiritual advisor to the US President.

Peña, a pastor from the “Christ the King” Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, has cultivated close ties with the Trump family and has been a vocal advocate for hardline evangelical and zionist causes. During the event, Peña led the central prayer for the “restoration” and “blessing” of Venezuela.

He was joined by other international religious leaders such as Pastor Roosevelt Fonseca of the “Christian Life Mission” (Colombia-USA), who participated in “revival prayers” intended to foster social cohesion during the 2026 Holy Week.

For her part, Rodríguez called for “an end to hatred” and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a national amnesty law that has seen thousands released from prison or have their judicial cases dropped. She urged a prayer for an end to US sanctions and advocated for Venezuelans to look to “the words of Jesus” as a guide to overcoming the country’s struggles.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.

SACRAMENTO — As a Ventura County public defender, Liana Johnsson has handled many life-changing cases, but her biggest public crusade these days has been going topless.

For months, Johnsson has been fighting to allow topless women at California beaches and parks, and now the issue has made its way to the Capitol.

A group of lawyers, at Johnsson’s request, has asked the Legislature to make topless sunbathing legal, saying the ban is the last criminal sanction that treats women differently than men.

The new movement has urgency: Because of a December court ruling, Johnsson and other attorneys contend, women convicted of indecent exposure could find themselves listed as sex offenders under Megan’s Law, alongside rapists and child molesters.

“At some point, men’s breasts became liberated and women’s didn’t,” Johnsson said Friday. “This is the only thing left that men are legally allowed to do and, for women, they have to register as a sex offender. The real issue is there should be equal protection under the law.”

The office of state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said women should not be concerned about being identified as sex offenders, given that California law considers topless sunbathing to be indecent but not lewd. Lawmakers may soon be tackling the issue to remove any chance of misinterpretation by local prosecutors.

Before her idea reached Sacramento this week, Johnsson presented her arguments to more than 400 delegates at an October bar association convention. She flashed images on a screen of the big-breasted male evildoer from “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” as she spoke.

Johnsson — who wears a pink badge that reads, “I support breast equality” — also has produced a two-minute video featuring obese men with large breasts lounging on California beaches, proof, she said, that the law is not applied equally to men and women, as required by the U.S. Constitution.

After a bit of tittering followed by a plea to protect children, the lawyers’ group approved a resolution asking that the criminal codes forbidding topless sunbathing be removed. Lobbyists for the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations said they expect a lawmaker next week to introduce the bill Johnsson seeks, although an author and details of the proposal have not been decided.

The issue goes beyond topless sunbathing. The conference lobbyist, Randy Perry with Aaron Read & Associates, questioned whether fraternity boys mooning out a car window or golfers caught urinating in the woods would also be required to register as sex offenders now, if convicted of indecent exposure.

“What we’re talking about is common sense,” said Perry.

He noted that since California legalized public breastfeeding in 1998, the only area of the law exclusively targeting women has been topless sunbathing.

Perry said the 2005 bill would either exempt topless women from Megan’s Law, make topless sunbathing an infraction instead of a misdemeanor or let judges decide whether to require sex offender registration.

In an Orange County case last month, a state Court of Appeal ruled that anyone convicted of misdemeanor indecent exposure must be listed as a sex offender under Megan’s Law. The databank recently was placed on the Internet, so people can search it for sex offenders.

The court said including indecent exposure offenders is not cruel and unusual punishment because Megan’s Law is not technically a “punishment” but simply a regulatory tool. Lawyers in the case said trial judges and prosecutors should have the discretion to decide, but the court took that away.

“Can you imagine the burden on police to now have to track all these people?” asked Carol E. Lavacot, the Orange County public defender who challenged the ruling in the 4th Appellate District. “It’s a way overboard decision.”

It’s extremely rare for women to be convicted of misdemeanor indecent exposure for going topless or, as the law currently reads, exposing “any portion of the breast at or below the upper edge of the areola of any female person.”

Officials at the California Department of Parks and Recreation say it has not been a priority for them to cite women at its 278 parks and beaches. California has dozens of unofficially designated nude beaches and rivers, including the popular Black’s Beach near San Diego, where people lie about in the nude, mostly without interference from police or rangers.

“Our rangers — how can I put this? — are very busy,” said Joe Rosato, a parks department spokesman. “It’s a low, low priority. Instead, what the rangers do is ask the women to put their tops on, and usually it’s 100%. If there are any indecent exposures, it’s more of a flasher or someone jumping out of bush exposing themselves.”

For its part, the state attorney general’s office said Megan’s Law would apply only if the woman has “lewd intent” — and topless sunbathing is not normally considered lewd. In addition, they said, a misdemeanor conviction for indecent exposure requires only registration under Megan’s Law, not public disclosure on the new government websites.

The office of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to comment on the possible legislation, and it was unclear if the governor would rank this effort as one of the “silly” bills he says the Legislature often dreams up. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” spokeswoman Margita Thompson said in an e-mail when asked to comment.

The legislation probably faces a fight. Lawmakers in California have been eager to expand Megan’s Law, not carve out exemptions.

Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, called it a “loopy idea” at a time when California needs to strengthen laws against public nudity.

“We already have too many sexual assaults in society. This will fuel that fire, and if the women don’t understand, that’s because they don’t think like a man,” Thomasson said.

But Johnsson countered the notion that “if you allow topless sunbathing on state beaches … civilization will collapse. I tried to show that we have faced these same fears, like when we gave women the right to vote and enter the armed forces, and we have survived.”