Police arrested protester during interview about US action in Venezuela. Here's context

In January 2026, a claim (archived) circulated online that police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, arrested a protester during a TV interview for speaking out against U.S. military action in Venezuela. The rumor emerged in the days after the U.S. Department of Defense announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

One X user wrote, "WATCH: Woman arrested mid-interview after criticizing [President Donald] Trump's Venezuela invasion." 

The video showed a woman speaking to a journalist and encouraging people to "apply pressure" against the U.S. government for using tax dollars to commit "war crimes" in Venezuela. After the interview ended, the video showed uniformed police officers approach and arrest the woman before taking her to a marked police car.

(X user @KaivanShroff)

The video also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers wrote in to ask if the video was real and if the reason for her arrest was truly her criticism of U.S. actions in Venezuela.

The video was authentic (archived), meaning not generated or altered by artificial intelligence. It showed Jessica Plichta, reportedly a 22-year-old preschool teacher, speaking to WZZM, an ABC affiliate channel in western Michigan, on Jan. 3, 2026, the day news of Maduro's capture broke. However, Grand Rapids police said in a statement that the reason for Plichta's arrest was her behavior during the protest that took place before the interview — not her views on Venezuela that she expressed to WZZM. Snopes was not able to independently verify Plichta's charges or whether they reflected that statement.

Given the above, we rate this claim a mixture of true and undetermined elements.

Snopes reached out to the Grand Rapids Alliance and Plichta to confirm details about the arrest and Plichta's charges and await replies to our queries.

WZZM's report on the incident on YouTube showed Grand Rapids police arresting Plichta "immediately after" her interview finished, rather than during, as some online claims said.

A Grand Rapids Police Department spokesperson confirmed officers arrested Plichta after they identified her in a group of protesters who "refused lawful orders" to move a march from the road to the sidewalk. The spokesperson said in an emailed statement:

A group was marching in the roadway. Over 25 announcements were made from the PA system of a marked police cruiser for the group to leave the roadway and relocate their activities to the sidewalk. Blocking traffic in this manner is a direct violation of city and state law. The group refused lawful orders to move this free speech event to the sidewalk and instead began blocking intersections until the march ended. Patrol officers consulted with their sergeant and the watch commander who informed the officers that if the individuals could be located, they were subject to arrest. The adult woman who was arrested was positively identified by officers, and the lawful arrest was made.

Grand Rapids Alliance, the city's chapter of the campaign group the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, posted (archived) on Instagram that authorities released Plichta hours after her arrest. In the accompanying video, Plichta appeared to be holding a bag containing a Venezuelan flag and led a crowd in chants of "Viva Venezuela" and "Viva Maduro."

Snopes was unable to view any booking charges for Plichta. According to a Jan. 6 report (archived) by WZZM, Plichta had not yet received notice of formal charges. Plichta did not appear in court records for Kent County, where Grand Rapids is the county seat, at the time of this writing.

Plichta reportedly told the independent news outlet Zeteo she was "the only person arrested out of 200 people" at the Jan. 3 rally. The Grand Rapids Police Department did not reply to a question about whether its officers arrested other protesters.