Venezuelan Americans celebrate Maduro capture in South Florida

Venezuelan Americans began celebrating after news that Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro had been captured by the US military, and a local leader said the moment signaled renewed hopes for democracy after decades of authoritarian rule.

The backlash was particularly evident in Doral, Florida, where about 40% of residents are of Venezuelan descent and most others are Cuban. Families fleeing socialist dictatorships expressed optimism about the future of Venezuela and the possibility of greater stability in the Western Hemisphere.

One man thanked President Donald Trump and the military: “Because of them and their power, we are free. Long live Venezuela libre!”

“I’ve seen my father cry three times in my life,” another woman said. “His father is dying, Fidel is dying, and today. And I think it’s the right time to be here. It’s a historic event.”

Doral Mayor Christi Farga said on “Fox & Friends Weekend” Sunday that many of her constituents “fleeing oppression and coming here to find safety and freedom.”

SEE PICTURES: VENEZUELANS, EXILES AROUND THE WORLD CELEBRATE AS THEY RESPOND TO MADURO’S CAPTURE

“People here are happy. We have a large immigrant community, many of them Venezuelans and Cubans who have lived with these dictatorships their whole lives.”

Nicolás Maduro gestures alongside his wife Cilia Flores as they leave the Capitolio, home of the Venezuelan National Assembly, after taking the oath of office during the presidential inauguration in Caracas on January 10, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

“Yesterday they felt like justice had been served… there were a lot of people cheering and happy,” he continued. “After 27 years of oppression, they see the light at the end of the tunnel and watch their country deteriorate under this regime.”

VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION EXPLAINED THE RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES AS VENEZUELA ENTERED THE POST-MADURO ERA

Some Doral residents fled Venezuela when Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999, while others arrived in recent years when conditions worsened under Maduro, the mayor said.

“This very rich country had so many opportunities and resources, and people were deprived of them,” Fraga said, describing poverty conditions in Venezuela. he said. “They came here looking for this opportunity for their children.”

“But many of them are excited to be able to go back and rebuild their country,” he added.

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Fraga hopes Maduro’s ouster will reverberate beyond Venezuela’s borders.

“Hopefully this continues and we’ll see a surge in Cuba and Nicaragua. We’ll start to see stability in the Western Hemisphere.”