 "People gathered for a rally in Doral, Florida—the Miami suburb where President Donald Trump has a golf resort. (AP)")
Scenes of celebration unfolded in South Florida on Saturday as Venezuelan expatriates reacted to the American military attack that toppled Nicols Maduro’s government , an outcome many had long hoped for but one that also raised questions about the future of their troubled homeland. Revellers chanted “liberty” and draped Venezuelan flags over their shoulders as word spread of the dramatic developments.
People gathered for a rally in Doral, Florida—the Miami suburb where President Donald Trump has a golf resort and where roughly half the population is of Venezuelan descent—after news emerged that Venezuela’s now-deposed president had been captured and flown out of the country.
Outside the El Arepazo restaurant, a cultural hub for Venezuelans in Doral, one man held a piece of cardboard with “Libertad” scrawled in black marker. Others echoed the sentiment, chanting “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!” as they expressed hopes for a new beginning for their country.
Mixed emotions among long-time exiles
For some Venezuelan natives, the military action—culminating months of stepped-up US pressure—brought the prospect of reuniting with loved ones closer to reality after years of separation.
“We’re like everybody — it’s a combination of feelings, of course,” said Alejandra Arrieta, who came to the US in 1997. “There’s fears. There’s excitement. There’s so many years that we’ve been waiting for this. Something had to happen in Venezuela. We all need the freedom.”
Hopes of family reunions after years apart
For David Nuez, the regime change carried deeply personal significance. He said he fled to the United States six years ago after being persecuted in Venezuela for his political activism and has not seen his daughters, aged 8 and 17, since then.
“The most important thing is that we’re going to be able to be with our families soon,” Nuez said. “At least for me, I haven’t seen my daughters in six years so I have a lot of mixed feelings. I’ve cried a lot. I’m really happy because I know that I’m going to be able to return to Venezuela very soon.”
Trump outlines temporary US role
Trump said on Saturday that the US government would run the country at least temporarily and was already doing so. The action marked the culmination of an escalating Trump administration pressure campaign on the oil-rich South American nation, alongside weeks of planning that tracked Maduro’s behavioural habits.
Following Trump’s press conference, people continued to gather outside the Doral restaurant, singing, dancing and waving flags as a percussionist drummed along with the crowd.
A diaspora shaped by years of displacement
About 8 million people have fled Venezuela since 2014, initially settling in neighbouring countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. After the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing numbers turned towards the United States, either walking through the jungle in Colombia and Panama or flying to the US on humanitarian parole with a financial sponsor.
In South Florida, long-standing concerns within the Venezuelan community about Trump’s tough immigration policies gave way to celebration after Maduro was deposed in the American military operation early Saturday.
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View AllDoral’s Venezuelan population has evolved over decades. Upper-middle-class professionals and entrepreneurs arrived when socialist Hugo Chvez won the presidency in the late 1990s, followed by political opponents and business owners who established small enterprises. In recent years, more lower-income Venezuelans have arrived to work in service industries.
They include doctors, lawyers, beauticians, construction workers, and house cleaners. Some are naturalized US citizens or live in the country illegally with US-born children, while others overstay tourist visas, seek asylum or hold temporary status.
Calls for justice and humanitarian support
Niurka Melndez, who fled Venezuela in 2015, said she was hopeful that Maduro’s ouster would improve conditions in her homeland. Now based in New York City, she co-founded Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid, an organisation aimed at improving the lives of immigrants, and became an advocate for change as she described a humanitarian crisis facing her countrymen.
“For us, it’s just the start of the justice we need to see,” Melndez said in a phone interview.
She said Venezuela had reached a “breaking point” due to forced displacements, repression, hunger and fear, adding that international humanitarian support would be needed to aid recovery.
“Removing an authoritarian system responsible for these crimes creates the possibility, not a guarantee, but a possibility, for recovery,” she said. “A future without criminal control over institutions is the minimum condition for rebuilding a country based on justice, rule of law, and democratic safeguards.”