In South Florida on Saturday, celebrants shouted “liberty” and wrapped themselves in Venezuelan flags to mark the fall of Nicolás Maduro’s government—a remarkable turn of events they had eagerly anticipated, yet it also left them contemplating the future of their stricken nation.
A crowd assembled for a demonstration in Doral, Florida—the Miami-area community home to one of President Donald Trump’s golf properties and a place where approximately 50% of residents trace their heritage to Venezuela—following reports that the Venezuelan leader had been detained and removed from the nation.
Near the El Arepazo restaurant, a focal point of Doral’s Venezuelan community, an individual displayed a cardboard sign reading “Libertad” written in black marker. This reflected the aspirations of fellow Venezuelans seeking a fresh start for their nation as they repeatedly shouted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”
Alejandra Arrieta, who relocated to the United States in 1997, remarked, “We’re like everybody—it’s a combination of feelings, of course. 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.”
On Saturday, Trump maintained that the U.S. administration would act, at least for the time being, and claimed it was already taking action. This development represented the peak of intensifying efforts by the Trump administration against the petroleum-rich Latin American country, coupled with extensive preparation that monitored Maduro’s patterns.
Since 2014, roughly 8 million individuals have departed Venezuela, initially establishing themselves in nearby Latin American and Caribbean nations. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, they progressively turned their attention toward America, trekking through forests in Colombia and Panama or arriving via humanitarian parole with a sponsor.
Wealthy professionals and business owners began arriving in Doral to purchase real estate and launch enterprises during the late 1990s when socialist Hugo Chávez assumed power. Political dissidents and small business operators subsequently joined them. More recently, working-class Venezuelans have migrated there seeking employment in the service sector.
These newcomers include physicians, attorneys, cosmetologists, laborers, and domestic workers. Some have become American citizens, while others reside unlawfully with children born in the U.S. Additional individuals remain after visa expirations, request protection, or hold various provisional designations.
Niurka Meléndez, who escaped Venezuela in 2015, expressed optimism Saturday that Maduro’s removal would enhance conditions in her native land. After moving to New York, she helped establish Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid, an organization dedicated to strengthening immigrant communities. She emerged as a persistent voice for transformation in Venezuela, describing her compatriots as “facing a humanitarian crisis.”
She anticipates that these difficulties will cease through U.S. involvement.
In a telephone conversation, Meléndez stated, “For us, it’s just the start of the justice we need to see.”
She indicated that forced migration, oppression, starvation, and terror had pushed her country to a “breaking point.” She appealed for global humanitarian assistance to support Venezuela’s reconstruction.
Meléndez explained, “Removing an authoritarian system responsible for these crimes creates the possibility, not a guarantee, but a possibility, for recovery. A future without criminal control over institutions is the minimum condition for rebuilding a country based on justice, rule of law, and democratic safeguards.”