Photo: YURI CORTEZ / AFP / Getty Images
DORAL, Fla. — Cheers, music, and waving flags filled the streets of Doral on Saturday as hundreds of Venezuelan expatriates gathered to celebrate reports that Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces. The news sparked an outpouring of emotion in a city often considered the heart of South Florida’s Venezuelan community.
Outside popular restaurants and cafés, crowds sang patriotic songs and shouted “¡Sí se pudo!” — “Yes, we did it!” — a rallying cry for those who have long opposed Maduro’s rule. Many attendees wore Venezuelan flags draped over their shoulders, while others Face-Timed relatives back home to share the moment.
The gathering was as much about celebration as it was about reflection. While many expressed gratitude toward the United States and Venezuelan opposition leaders, there was also acknowledgment that the road ahead remains uncertain.
For the Venezuelan-Americans in South Florida, the day marked a turning point — a moment of unity and optimism after years of political turmoil and economic hardship in their homeland.
Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart is House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair and Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, the Department of State, and Related Programs. He's issuing a statement reading, "Today's action, ordered by President Trump, is what decisive leadership truly looks like. Our country has faced an unprecedented national security threat from the illegitimate Maduro regime. Unabetted for years, Maduro has sent drugs into our country, killing an untold number of Americans, kidnapped innocent Americans, flooded our country with violent cartel members from Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles, while destabilizing regional security. The regime has also allied itself with America's enemies, Iran, China, Russia, Cuba, Hezbollah, and Hamas. It is utterly irresponsible behavior to continue; it puts our country’s security in jeopardy. While others dithered, President Trump recognized this threat for what it is and acted with resolve. All Americans should thank President Trump, Secretary Rubio, Secretary Hegseth, and our heroic Armed Forces.”
Miami-Dade Tax Collector with a similar sentiment. Dariel Fernandez says:
"In the early morning hours of January 3rd, the United States of America successfully carried out a large-scale operation targeting criminal leadership operating from Venezuela. As announced by President Donald J. Trump, the operation resulted in the capture of narco-terrorist, communist, and socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were taken into custody and flown out of the country. The operation was conducted in coordination with United States law enforcement. Additional details will be provided by the President.
This operation was not directed against Venezuela or its people. It was directed against the criminal networks, cartels, and corrupt officials who hijacked the Venezuelan state and turned it into a platform for drug trafficking, corruption, and transnational crime that has harmed communities across the hemisphere, including here in the United States.
For nearly twenty-seven years, a dictatorship rooted in communism and socialism has dismantled democratic institutions, destroyed the economy, and forced millions of Venezuelans to flee their homeland. With the backing and guidance of the Cuban regime, this leadership enabled narco-terrorist and cartel-linked operations to function with impunity, strengthening networks that traffic drugs, launder money, and spread violence far beyond Venezuela’s borders.
Now the time has come for Cuba. They are the root of everything that has happened in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and now Colombia. It is time for the Castro communist and socialist assassin regime to be held accountable as well, and for the Cuban people to finally be free.
Here in Miami-Dade County, we understand what this moment represents. Our community is home to thousands of Venezuelan families who escaped repression in search of freedom and opportunity. They know the cost of dictatorship firsthand, and they know that criminal regimes do not remain contained within their borders.
This operation marks a decisive step toward ending the criminal control that has suffocated Venezuela for decades. It is aimed at dismantling the structures of corruption and violence, not at the Venezuelan people, who deserve democracy, dignity, and the right to determine their own future.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the brave men and women whose heroic and swift actions made this operation possible. Their courage, discipline, and professionalism reflect the very best of our nation.
We pray for the continued safety of our troops and law enforcement personnel, for the people of Venezuela as they begin a long-awaited path toward freedom, and for the leadership of Donald J. Trump as he works to protect the United States of America.
May God protect our soldiers and law enforcement, and may God bless the United States of America.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, released the following statement on the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro:
“The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela's people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows. Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González. I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime.”
