The teacher Jessica Plitcha, 22, was arrested in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while giving a live interview in the middle of an anti-war protest just hours after Nicolás Maduro was abducted by the U.S. Army on Saturday (3).
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Plitcha was about to wrap up her interview with WZZM, an ABC affiliate, when two police officers approached her from behind.
At the time of the arrest, the teacher told them she was not resisting.
WZZM reported that an officer cited “obstructing a public roadway and failure to comply with a lawful order,” and that Plitcha was charged with failure to comply with a lawful order.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I was arrested as soon as I finished an interview talking about Venezuela,” she later told Zeteo.
The teacher reported that officers pushed her into the back seat of the patrol car without fastening her seat belt. She said she was bent over the vehicle to be searched.
Plitcha stated that officers repeatedly asked whether she was Venezuelan and whether she had any ties to Venezuela.
“We are so accustomed, so used to repression when we speak out on anti-war issues. When we speak for Venezuela, when we speak for Palestine, we expect the police to want to shut it down,” she told Zeteo.
A video posted on Facebook shows the teacher being released after being detained for three hours.
Plitcha said she remained mostly silent while officers took her to jail, where, according to her, the same questions continued.
The Grand Rapids Police Department disputed her claims in a statement to The Daily Beast.
Photos: Facebook Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and X @I_amMukhtar. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
A teacher was arrested on live TV after criticising Trump for attacking Venezuela.
The police officers said that they were arresting her for “obstructing a roadway.” pic.twitter.com/AFGb9cFPxY— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) January 6, 2026
