Venezuelans living in Northeastern Pennsylvania are experiencing an intense mix of emotions following the apprehension of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a development many consider historic, yet incomplete.
For members of the local Venezuelan community, the news has reopened deep emotional wounds while also igniting cautious hope. Many remain closely connected to loved ones in Venezuela and continue to follow events unfolding on the ground.
Ivanna Pereira, owner of Twosweeteria, a Venezuelan catering business based in Freeland, Luzerne County, described the moment as overwhelming and difficult to process.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I’m feeling,” she said. “I don’t know how to digest what is happening in Venezuela. I am happy — it’s something like, wow — I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I haven’t slept since last night.”
Pereira said she went to bed around midnight but was quickly awakened by constant notifications on her phone as videos began circulating online showing explosions, bombings and missile activity in Caracas.
“That’s when everything started — all the detonations, the bombings, the missiles that were happening in Caracas,” she said. “From that moment on, I didn’t sleep at all. I didn’t close my eyes for a single second.”
More than 24 hours later, she said the emotional impact still hadn’t settled.
“It’s almost 11 at night now, and I’m just about to go to bed,” she said. “What I want to say is that I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I’m in a state of shock. I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, jump, or celebrate. I honestly don’t know.”
A mix of joy and worry
In nearby Hazleton, Venezuelan entrepreneur Karla Rodríguez, owner of Caracas Mix and Match food truck, said the news has deeply affected her and her family, many of whom still live in Venezuela.
“I feel a lot of uncertainty about what may happen in Venezuela, especially because a large part of my family is there,” Rodríguez said. “There is fear and pain because of the violence that has been unleashed, foreign intervention, and the anguish of watching our country in crisis. But at the same time, I feel hope for a prosperous Venezuela.”
Rodríguez said conversations within her family reflect the emotional divide many Venezuelans are experiencing.
“Some feel joy at the idea of a Venezuela free from dictatorship,” she said. “Others are deeply worried about a possible wave of violence in Caracas and other regions — about innocent lives being lost, both among civilians and the military, and about humble people who have lost their homes and have done nothing wrong.”
Despite those fears, she said many Venezuelans abroad are allowing themselves to imagine a future once thought impossible.
“Others feel happiness thinking they may be able to return to Venezuela and rebuild their lives,” Rodríguez said. “That is the wish of many.”
Rodríguez described the current moment as emotionally overwhelming for the Venezuelan diaspora.
“This situation creates an intense mix of emotions — hope for change or the end of the crisis, but also a lot of uncertainty and caution,” she said. “There is fear of new reprisals, new attacks, and deep distrust about what the future holds. At the same time, there is a strong desire for peace, for a country free of violence and foreign intervention. In the end, it’s a mix of everything.”
She believes the developments could significantly impact Venezuelans living abroad, particularly families separated for years.
“Without a doubt, this could bring joy to thousands of Venezuelans in the United States who are separated from their loved ones,” Rodríguez said. “Many will return to resume their lives in Venezuela, and others will finally be able to reunite with their families. It would be a positive impact for the Venezuelan diaspora.”
As a Venezuelan living in the United States, Rodríguez also views the role of the U.S. government with caution.
“It’s a very complex issue involving geopolitical and economic interests,” she said. “Historically, the United States has been interested in Venezuela’s oil, natural resources and wealth. We are living through a political breaking point — a collapse of democracy and sovereignty — and that creates the perfect conditions for outside intervention that benefits political interests.”
Still, Rodríguez emphasized the resilience of Venezuelans living in Pennsylvania.
“As a community here, we keep our cultural connection alive — our food, our language, our traditions,” she said. “There is sadness for what has been lost, but also pride in our resilience. Many hold onto the hope of a possible return. For some, this moment feels like a new dawn — a new opportunity.”
'Do I celebrate? Do I not celebrate?'
Pereira explained that while Maduro’s apprehension feels significant, she does not yet see it as the definitive moment of liberation for Venezuela.
“For me, the decisive moment — the moment when you say, ‘Yes, Venezuela is finally free’ — will be when I see María Corina Machado in Miraflores with Edmundo González,” she said. “Until then, I feel like that cancer is still there in Venezuela, and those people are still capable of causing a lot of harm.”
Machado and González are prominent opposition leaders in Venezuela, and Miraflores is Venezuela's presidential palace. As NPR reported, González is the candidate who the U.S. says won Venezuela's 2024 election. Machado, meanwhile, was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize last month in recognition of "her struggle to achieve a democratic transition.
Both Machado and González were among critics of the Maduro regime who have gone into exile or hiding, and Pereira said that openly celebrating Maduro's capture remains dangerous in her homeland.
“It’s impossible to go out and celebrate in Venezuela at this moment,” she said. “You can be arrested, and repression continues.”
Pereira pointed to entrenched political figures who remain influential.
“One of the worst cancers Venezuela has is Diosdado Cabello,” she said. “So you’re left asking yourself: What do I do? Do I feel happy? Do I celebrate? Do I not celebrate? We really don’t know what to do.”
Cabello is the country's powerful interior minister, whom the Associated Press described as being "among Maduro’s top enforcers."
'Venezuela deserves a better future'
While Pereira said Venezuelans abroad are grateful for the developments, fear and uncertainty still dominate conversations about the future.
“Yes, we are very happy this happened, but it’s not over yet,” she said. “There is still a lot left to be done because there are still many bad people in my country. For now, we are not planning to return.”
In Hazleton, Venezuelan refugee Erick Rubio echoed the emotional complexity felt across the diaspora.
“My family and I are overwhelmed with so many different emotions,” he said. “We are happy, and we can’t thank President Trump enough for doing this for our country."
His words reflect both gratitude and a longing shared by many Venezuelans abroad, the hope that political change will finally lead to stability, safety and opportunity in their homeland.
"Venezuela deserves a better future,” Rubio said.
