Venezuelan immigrants celebrate U.S. capture of Maduro
Venezuelans in the U.S. took to the streets to celebrate the apprehension of President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight military raid on Caracas.
The U.S. intervention represents a long-suspected Trump administration campaign to oust Mr. Maduro amid months of amped-up military pressure.
As the East Coast was waking up, Venezuelans were corralled by celebratory cheers in Doral, a Venezuelan community in South Florida.
Hundreds gathered, waving Venezuelan flags, dancing and embracing each other. A drummer participated with the singing crowd. People chanted, “Liberty!”
The Latin American country has dealt with economic collapse, international isolation and political repression. Almost 8 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 amid such conditions.
For some, Mr. Maduro’s arrest represents long-awaited liberation.
Rafael Pineyro, a Venezuelan American city councilman in Doral, said the city stands in solidarity with his native land and those fighting for freedom and the rule of law.
“After decades of repression and the systematic destruction of freedoms under the Maduro regime, the Venezuelan people deserve true accountability and a clear path to freedom,” Mr. Pineyro said in a statement to the Miami Herald. “I support the confirmed action of the United States as a measured step to confront tyranny, protect regional stability, and support those who have suffered in silence for far too long.”
Agustin Rodriguez, the vice president of a Venezuelan cultural association, told a TV station in Spain that while there are concerns about the U.S. strikes, they “may be necessary to find a way out for the country in which there can be a return to power alternation, where there can be a future.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, in a Saturday statement, called on Venezuelans abroad to be ready to mobilize and help build “the new Venezuela.”
But as people across the world rejoiced at the news, Venezuelans in the capital, Caracas, mostly stayed home.
President Trump said at a Saturday press conference that the U.S. would “run” the country until a new government can be put in place.
