For some Venezuelans, the recent military intervention, which was the result of months of intensified U.S. pressure, has rekindled hopes of being reunited with family members after enduring years of painful separation. The prospect of a new beginning for their homeland has never felt closer.

In Doral, Florida, outside the popular Venezuelan eatery El Arepazo, the atmosphere was charged with emotion. A man stood holding a cardboard sign with the word “Libertad” boldly written in black marker, echoing the collective yearning for freedom that filled the air. Gathered around him, fellow Venezuelans passionately chanted “Liberty! Liberty! Liberty!”

Among them was Alejandra Arrieta, who immigrated to the United States in 1997. “We’re experiencing a mix of emotions,” she expressed, capturing the bittersweet nature of the moment. “There’s fear, there’s excitement, and after so many years, something had to give in Venezuela. We all long for freedom.”

For David Nuñez, the potential shift in Venezuela’s regime symbolizes the possibility of a long-awaited family reunion. This hope is shared by many others in the community, who see the recent events as a beacon of change and a step toward the freedom they have yearned for.

Some Venezuelan exiles feel hopeful after US actions

For David Nuñez, the regime change offered hope for a long-awaited reunion with loved ones.

Nuñez said he fled to the United States six years ago after being persecuted in Venezuela for his political activism and has not seen his daughters — ages 8 and 17 — since then.

“The most important thing is that we’re going to be able to be with our families soon,” Nuñez said.

“At least for me, I haven’t seen my daughters in six years so I have a lot of mixed feelings. I’ve cried a lot. I’m really happy because I know that I’m going to be able to return to Venezuela very soon.”

Trump insisted on Saturday that the US government would run the country at least temporarily and was already doing so. The action marked the culmination of an escalating Trump administration pressure campaign on the oil-rich South American nation as well as weeks of planning that tracked Maduro’s behavioural habits.

After Trump’s press conference about US actions in Venezuela, people still gathered outside of the Doral restaurant sang, danced and waved flags. A percussionist drummed along with the singing crowd.

People started gathering outside the restaurant once the news broke. Cooks were told to stay and prepare more food for anticipated high demand. Hundreds showed up, and the crowd kept growing as the day went on.

Some say Maduro’s ouster was long awaited

Alexa Perez said she has waited years for this moment.

“Thanks, President Trump. This is our second liberty. This our independence day from today on,” Perez said.

She married a week ago and said the news was the “best wedding gift” possible.

Her husband, Aldo Amenta, said they were scared, excited and confused at first and felt better when they learned their family members were safe.

“We’re really happy and excited that the doors are open for Venezuela, for all of our people who deserve a chance,” Amenta said.

Perez responded positively to apparent US plans to run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations, saying her homeland has not received anything from Russia, Iran and China.

“We are very poor, we have no hospital, we have no rights for our people,” Perez said.

“So I think this is going to be a great transition. Because once you know how the US works, you know that everything can work better.”

The Venezuelan diaspora grew over decades

About 8 million people have fled the country since 2014, settling first in neighbouring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. After the COVID-19 pandemic, they increasingly set their sights on the United States, walking through the jungle in Colombia and Panama or flying to the US on humanitarian parole with a financial sponsor.

In South Florida, deep-seated concerns in the Venezuelan community about Trump’s tough immigration policies gave way to celebrations after Maduro was deposed in the American military operation early on Saturday.

In Doral, upper-middle-class professionals and entrepreneurs came to invest in property and businesses when socialist Hugo Chávez won the presidency in the late 1990s. They were followed by political opponents and entrepreneurs who set up small businesses. In recent years, more lower-income Venezuelans have come for work in service industries.

They are doctors, lawyers, beauticians, construction workers and house cleaners. Some are naturalized US citizens or live in the country illegally with US-born children. Others overstay tourist visas, seek asylum or have some form of temporary status.

‘Not a guarantee, but a possibility, for recovery’

Niurka Meléndez, who fled from Venezuela in 2015, said on Saturday she was hopeful that Maduro’s ouster will improve life in her homeland. Meléndez immigrated to New York City, where she co-founded the group Venezuelans and Immigrants Aid, which strives to empower the lives of immigrants. She became a steadfast advocate for change in her home country, where she said her countrymen faced a humanitarian crisis.

Now, she hopes those hardships will fade away.

“For us, it’s just the start of the justice we need to see,” Meléndez said in a phone interview.

Her homeland had reached a “breaking point” due to forced displacements, repression, hunger and fear, she said. Now there’s a need for international humanitarian support to help in Venezuela’s recovery.

“Removing an authoritarian system responsible for these crimes creates the possibility, not a guarantee, but a possibility, for recovery,” she said. “A future without criminal control over institutions is the minimum condition for rebuilding a country based on justice, rule of law, and democratic safeguards.”