The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend, and his arraignment in a New York courtroom Monday, were cause for celebration for many Venezuelans in the United States and around the world.
But a Kalamazoo resident from Venezuela added that in Caracas, the party is subdued.
Carlos Sebastiani came to Kalamazoo 14 years ago as a student. He said most people in Venezuela are still fearful of the regime and are quietly celebrating Maduro’s removal.
Venezuelans have tried to remove Maduro, and his predecessor Hugo Chávez, before.
“We haven’t been able to do it on our own. And I think that’s why a lot of Venezuelans are happy about the involvement of the US in all of this.”
But the Trump administration's decision to work with Maduro’s executive vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, is not reducing Venezuelans' fears of retaliation if they celebrate Maduro's ouster openly.
“She’s just part of the same circus,” said Sebastiani, who added that Rodríguez was appointed by Maduro and not elected by the people.
Sebastiani said he hopes Rodríguez serves only until Edmundo González takes power. He’s thought to be the real winner of last year’s presidential election, by a wide margin.
But Ana Gil Garcia isn’t so sure that will happen. She said her family asked her not to email pictures or news items related to Maduro's capture or court appearance to them for fear of retaliation.
“By appointing Delcy Rodríguez, the Maduro's vice president, the United States is legitimizing somebody that is illegitimate," Gil Garcia said.
“Somehow there is a sense of betrayal in there because we thought, well, you know, this is going to be the end of the regime, but it's not.”
Gil Garcia is a Western Michigan University alumna and the founder of the Illinois Venezuelan Alliance in Chicago.
In September, WMUK reported on her organization's response to the Trump administration's threats to deport Venezuelans in Chicago.
In 2023, Gil Garcia was appointed to Chicago’s Advisory Council on New Americans when the city faced an influx of migrants that were sent there from Texas. More than 50,000 people arrived in the city in two years. Many of them were from Venezuela, fleeing the Maduro regime.
"It is too premature to assess the future of the new immigrant community," Gil Garcia said.
She warned that Venezuela may be in turmoil for months. She said she hopes the Trump administration will not resume deportations for Venezuelans living in the US temporarily on the assumption that it’s safe to return.
Sebastiani and Gil Garcia both said they want to see democracy restored to Venezuela and they are glad to see Maduro gone.
However, Gil-Garcia said she was disturbed by Trump's press conference on Saturday.
“It was really very disgraceful to hear in the discourse of President Trump talk more about oil, and never mention the word democracy," she said.
She disputes the Trump administration's claim that Venezuela “owes” the US oil.
As for Sebastiani, he summed up his feelings as "hopeful but skeptical."
