For Venezuelans in the US, a whirlwind week and many complicated emotions
In the week since U.S. forces swept into Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro , Venezuelan-Americans have experienced a mix of emotions while following developments through the news and loved ones back home.
For opponents of Maduro's repressive government or those who have longed for Venezuela to regain democracy and economic stability, it has been particularly surreal, generating hope alongside apprehension for the country's uncertain future.
"Leaving Venezuela broke my heart," said Katiuska Valiente, 47, of Medfield, who moved to the U.S. in 2011.
She worked as a journalist in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, but emigrated with her family as the risks of the job increased under strongman President Hugo Chávez . She now owns Peka, a Latin American restaurant in Boston.
"Even today, I miss my country every single day. My only wish is to see Venezuela free and full of opportunities for our children," she said.
On Jan. 3, the morning of Maduro's capture, Javier Marin woke before dawn to voicemails and WhatsApp messages filled with confusion.
Family and friends in Venezuela told him that explosions were shaking Caracas. As strikes hit a nearby airport, Marin's niece fled her home. The reports suggested something major and violent was unfolding — possibly a coup or an invasion — but no one knew for sure.
It was "panic," Marin said. "It's not a country used to that."
Just before 4:30 a.m., President Trump announced on social media that U.S. troops had Maduro and his wife in custody on drug trafficking charges .
More than 25 years had passed since Marin, his wife and their two children departed Venezuela, not long after the polarizing Chávez came to power in 1999.
Under Chávez, Marin's media company faced censorship "from day one," he said.
"We did not plan to permanently move to the U.S.," Marin said. "We thought it would be over in a few years. We'd study and find work and come back when the Chávez period would end."
Two-and-a-half decades later, Marin owns El Planeta, a leading Spanish-language news organization in Massachusetts. He followed from a continent away as Maduro, Chávez's successor, fell into U.S. custody.
Under Maduro, nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left the country as the government repressed political opponents and the economy slipped into crisis.
With Maduro in American custody in New York, "of course, there is a celebratory feeling," Marin said.
However, Maduro's allies remain in power. And hundreds of the regime's political prisoners are still locked up , including two of Marin's friends. One was detained for sharing a WhatsApp video critical of Maduro, Marin said.
He is hopeful for change, but apprehensive that reforms could fall short of establishing democracy after Maduro clung to power through elections that the international community condemned as fraudulent . And Marin remains concerned for the safety of family and friends in Venezuela.
"You don't know what could happen," he said.
Valiente was thrilled to see Maduro arrested, but said many people with his ideology remain in power.
"People in Venezuela do not have freedom, even with Maduro in New York," she said. "I don't want to celebrate anything yet, because we are not clear with the situation yet. We have to wait and be patient."
Julio Henriquez, an immigration and human rights lawyer in Boston, moved to the U.S. from Venezuela nearly 20 years ago.
He awoke at 2 a.m. on Jan. 3 to a phone call from a friend in Venezuela and stayed up the rest of the night, confused and following the news. His cousin lives on the far side of a mountain from where Maduro and his wife were captured, but he could hear explosions from his home.
"That confusion continued, I think, to this day," Henriquez said. "We have many answers, but there are more questions than answers still."
Henriquez feels more skeptical than others about the direction of the country, he said. He hopes for a transition to a true democracy. He wants to see the widespread release of political prisoners by the government.
Still, he fears the current government will remain in power, maintaining stability but lacking independence from the United States.
"I have hopes it's not where we're headed, but it's all up in the air," he said.
Trump has said the U.S. will "run" Venezuela , though conflicting statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio have left the administration's intended role in the country unclear.
After Maduro's capture, Rubio said that the U.S. did not plan to assume day-to-day governance and would allow Maduro's subordinates to remain in office for now. He said the U.S. would enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil in place before Maduro's removal and use them as leverage to orchestrate change in the South American country.
"This is not going to be a short time to regime change," Marin said. "There is hope, but fear of hope as well because we've had so much hope in the past."
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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