Venezuelans react to U.S. arrest of Maduro amid hope, uncertainty

As the dust settles in Caracas, Venezuelans are reacting to the news that President Nicolás Maduro has been captured by the United States with hope, fear and uncertainty.

Emotions ranged from celebration to condemnation as people began pouring into the streets Saturday after a night of explosions in the Caracas Valley.

Local resident Dina told the BBC that for now, she is grateful to the United States for “taking Maduro out of here” because now, she can “at least see some light at the end of the tunnel again.”

But the political atmosphere remains tense, which is part of the reason she has not revealed her real name to the BBC.

Jorge, another Venezuelan living near Caracas, told the BBC that while he was grateful for the “outpouring of support from Trump and the United States in general”, he feared the days ahead would not be easy.

“Now that this person has been taken away by them, what happens next?” Jorge told the BBC. “It doesn’t guarantee us anything. So there’s some uncertainty. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few days.”

Supporters of the Maduro government also street rally Caracas, demanding the United States release their leader. Caracas Mayor Carmen Melendez, a staunch government advocate, attended the rally to protest what she called Maduro’s “kidnapping.”

U.S. forces led by President Donald Trump carried out a series of targeted attacks on Venezuela’s capital early Saturday, culminating in the detention of the country’s leader.

The United States accuses Maduro of running a “narco-terrorist” regime. He is widely believed by domestic opponents and foreign governments to have illegally won Venezuela’s 2024 election.

Maduro, who leads the United Socialist Party and has been in power since 2013, has often been accused of cracking down on opposition groups and suppressing dissent in Venezuela, sometimes using violence.

Venezuela’s future remains unclear as Maduro and his wife are extradited to New York City to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. Trump said the United States would run the country and manage its oil reserves until a permanent replacement for Maduro could emerge.

Maduro has previously denied U.S. claims that he was directly involved in drug trafficking.

But some Venezuelans told the BBC that even for those grateful to see Maduro step down, there is still a lot of fear and uncertainty.

Dina has little faith in Trump.

“He says something now and tomorrow he changes his mind,” Dina said of Trump. “I mean, I’m not used to taking his words seriously.”

Dina said the “only good thing” Trump has said since Maduro’s arrest is that the United States will invest in Venezuela, which she hopes will lead to “better economic conditions” for the troubled country.

Inside Venezuela, the danger of speaking out against Maduro remains very real, as the National Assembly, dominated by Maduro loyalists, passed a law weeks ago declaring anyone who expresses support for a U.S. naval blockade a “traitor.”

Jorge said he saw motorcyclists from Venezuela’s pro-government paramilitary group Colectivos roaming the streets carrying weapons yesterday.

“It makes you afraid to even go out and buy bread now,” he said. “We have to wait for the best outcome and be patient.”

Jorge added that he was worried about the influence of Maduro’s ally Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s interior minister, justice and peace minister.

“He was a very bad man, very vicious,” Jorge said of Cabello. “I don’t know how many people are on his side. Hopefully the military will stand with the people and he will lose some control.”

Sandra, who lives in the Venezuelan city of Punto Fijo, echoed Jorge and Dina’s relief that Maduro is gone. But she is also skeptical about the future and what it means for Venezuelans in exile.

Nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left Venezuela since Maduro came to power, with many openly celebrating Maduro’s arrest on the streets of settled cities.

Sandra said that in addition to the millions of people in exile, there are others who are “missing, imprisoned, dead or simply surviving”, which is a “real tragedy that no country has solved”.

“This is just the beginning; we know there is a long road ahead,” Sandra added. “No country has ever heard the voices of Venezuelans facing this tragedy before.”

Tom Bateman, Cristobal Vazquez and Christina Walker contributed to this report.