
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been photographed wearing three different outfits, from his arrest at home to his transfer to New York City detention center. The reason for this is his travel through areas with extreme climatic differences, with temperature fluctuations of 32 degrees.
Caracas (Start): Temperatures were around 26°C during the raid. Caught in his bedroom, Maduro was initially seen wearing light gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt.
New York (Arrival): Upon landing at Stewart Air National Guard Base, the temperature had dropped significantly to -6°C.
Upon arrival at DEA headquarters for processing, Maduro, who is under constant medical supervision, was reportedly diagnosed with early symptoms of hypothermia.
Sudden exposure to the “freezing” and humid air of a New York winter can lead to severe respiratory problems, coughing, and fatigue. To mitigate these risks, especially given the potential for underlying conditions like heart disease or asthma in a 63-year-old, the DEA provided him with: a thick black jacket with a zipper all the way up; an extra sweater visible under the sleeves; and a thick hood.
While his upper body layers changed frequently, two things remained constant: thick white socks and flip-flops. This is standard federal prison protocol in the US for several reasons: flip-flops prevent a prisoner from using their shoes as a weapon or means of self-harm, and they limit the prisoner's ability to run or move quickly.