Venezuelans in Florida Celebrate Maduro’s Ouster with Hope, Caution/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Venezuelans in South Florida gathered in celebration after the U.S. military captured President Nicolás Maduro. The rally in Doral reflected years of longing for change and hope for Venezuela’s future. While emotions ran high, many remained cautious about what comes next for their homeland.
Venezuelans Celebrate Maduro Ouster – Quick Looks
- South Florida Venezuelans rally after Maduro’s government falls
- Doral community celebrates, chants “Liberty!” after U.S. military strike
- Flags, signs, and emotional expressions mark the day of hope
- Alejandra Arrieta: “We’ve been waiting for this for years”
- Trump says U.S. will temporarily govern Venezuela post-capture
- 8 million Venezuelans have fled since 2014
- Doral community includes doctors, lawyers, and asylum seekers
- Advocate Niurka Meléndez: “It’s the start of justice we need”
Deep Look
South Florida’s Venezuelan Community Celebrates Maduro’s Ouster With Hope and Caution
In the heart of Doral, Florida, a city often dubbed “Doralzuela” due to its large Venezuelan population, emotions ran high as news spread that President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and removed from power. Venezuelans poured into the streets, waving flags, chanting for liberty, and celebrating what many called the beginning of a new era.
Saturday’s jubilant rally outside El Arepazo, a well-known Venezuelan eatery and cultural hub, featured chants of “Libertad” and patriotic pride. Many attendees had long dreamed of this moment — a peaceful Venezuela free from decades of authoritarian rule, economic collapse, and political repression.
“We all need the freedom,” said Alejandra Arrieta, who arrived in the U.S. in 1997. “There’s excitement and fear. But something had to happen. We’ve waited so many years for this.”
President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that the U.S. would temporarily administer Venezuela following the military operation that led to Maduro’s removal. According to Trump, the mission was months in the making and tracked Maduro’s patterns carefully before executing the capture.
The celebration in Doral reflected the unique political and cultural makeup of South Florida’s Venezuelan diaspora. Since the late 1990s, when Hugo Chávez first rose to power, Venezuelan immigrants have transformed the city, buying property, building businesses, and forming political action groups. Over time, the community has grown to include people from various economic backgrounds: professionals, political exiles, and those fleeing poverty and persecution.
A Refuge From Crisis
Over 8 million Venezuelans have left their homeland since 2014, fleeing the humanitarian crisis that has gripped the country. Many initially migrated to neighboring Latin American nations, but as conditions worsened — and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic — a growing number began making their way to the U.S., often via perilous routes through the Darién Gap or on humanitarian parole programs.
In Doral, those fleeing Maduro’s regime have become part of the city’s vibrant immigrant ecosystem — from doctors and attorneys to beauticians, laborers, and asylum seekers. Some have legal status, while others live undocumented or under temporary protections, often with U.S.-born children.
Voices of Change and Hope
One of those voices is Niurka Meléndez, who fled Venezuela in 2015 and co-founded Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid in New York City. Speaking by phone, she said Maduro’s fall represents the beginning of potential change — but not a guarantee.
“It’s just the start of the justice we need to see,” said Meléndez. She described her homeland as having reached a “breaking point” after years of repression, hunger, fear, and forced displacement.
Meléndez emphasized the need for international humanitarian assistance, not just political intervention. “Removing an authoritarian system responsible for these crimes creates the possibility — not a certainty — for recovery,” she added. “A future without criminal control over institutions is the minimum condition for rebuilding a country based on justice, rule of law, and democratic safeguards.”
While the community in Doral celebrated the removal of a long-feared regime, many remained grounded in the reality that rebuilding Venezuela would be a long, complicated process — one requiring both international cooperation and the efforts of its global diaspora.
Still, for many Venezuelans in South Florida, the fall of Maduro brought a powerful sense of closure and a surge of optimism, even if tempered by uncertainty. On that Saturday afternoon, under the flags and chants of “Liberty,” hope was renewed.
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