When Jordan Flores walked into Venezuela’s presidential offices for a news conference on March 6, it was the first time in his nearly decadelong career as a journalist that the media was invited inside the pink walls of Miraflores Palace.

For more than 20 years, the Venezuelan government tightened its grip on civil liberties, including freedom of the press, by shuttering news outlets, revoking broadcast licenses, and blocking online news content. For a political reporter like Mr. Flores, the opportunity last month to stand just a few feet away from Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, and U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum felt “historic.”

And none of it would have happened, Mr. Flores says, without the U.S.-led operation to capture Venezuela’s authoritarian leader and former president, Nicolás Maduro, on Jan. 3.

Why We Wrote This

It's been three months since President Donald Trump sent the U.S. military to Venezuela to capture the authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro.…