Venezuelans in US Fled Dictatorship and Need Protection,' Caucus Director Warns Trump

The executive director of the Venezuelan American Caucus has urged President Donald Trump to protect Venezuelans living in the United States, warning that those who fled the dictatorship should not face persecution following Nicolas Maduro's capture.

Adelys Ferro, who leads the grassroots organisation working to amplify Venezuelan American voices across the country, said this is not the time to persecute Venezuelan immigrants as many celebrate Maduro's downfall.

'I hope Trump understands Venezuelans here in the US also fled and need protection,' Ferro told NBC News. 'It's no time for more attacks and persecution of Venezuelan immigrants.'

'Those People Fled A Dictatorship'

Ferro emphasised that the majority of Venezuelans in the United States are not criminals, pushing back against narratives linking Venezuelan immigrants to gang violence.

'Those people fled a dictatorship, and they're not Tren de Aragua,' she said, referring to the Venezuelan gang that has operated in the US.

The executive director noted that more than six in 10 Venezuelans in the US came through Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a programme the Trump administration has rescinded.

'What we need is support in this critical moment,' Ferro added, urging Trump to recognise that there's a need for bipartisan support for Venezuelans.

Celebration Mixed With Uncertainty

Whilst Ferro celebrated that 'justice is taking its course and that Maduro responds for all the crimes he's committed', she warned that Venezuela is still not free from Chavismo, referring to the socialist rule started by Hugo Chavez.

In Doral, Florida, a Miami suburb nicknamed 'Doralzuela' for its large Venezuelan population, crowds gathered in the middle of the night when news broke of Maduro's capture.

Some arrived still in pyjamas, joining revellers waving Venezuelan flags and dancing, singing, and crying. 'Thank you, Lord, thank you, president of the United States. I've been waiting for years,' said Yajaira, a Venezuelan American from the city of Maracaibo.

But behind the jubilation, questions linger about what the future holds for Venezuelan immigrants in the US and the safety of relatives still in Venezuela.

TPS Concerns Amid Maduro's Fall

The Trump administration's decision to end TPS for nearly 350,000 Venezuelans has created anxiety within the community, particularly as they watch events unfold in their homeland.

Nearly 400,000 people who left Venezuela now live in Florida alone. According to NPR, Venezuelans started migrating in large numbers in the 1980s, with numbers surging in recent decades as people fled the political and economic turmoil of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro's authoritarian regimes.

'We are human beings who work here, who are small business owners, who are people that actually believed that the TPS was the right way to get legal in the United States, to have a work permit, to have a Social Security number, to be able to buy a house,' Ferro told NPR earlier.

The Venezuelan American Caucus has filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump-era decision to revoke protections and is asking the federal government to hold off on deportations whilst legal proceedings continue.

Hope For Innocents In Venezuela

Despite concerns about immigration enforcement, Ferro expressed hope for those still living under authoritarian rule in Venezuela.

'I hope that the innocents, the good people in Venezuela, who are the majority, will be protected,' she said.

The sentiment was echoed by many Venezuelan Americans who, whilst relieved at Maduro's capture, remain concerned about what happens next in their homeland.

A young man celebrating in front of El Arepazo restaurant in Doral, who did not want to give his name because he was worried about his family in Venezuela, said: 'I'm really happy. We were waiting for the end of that dictatorship.'

When asked how his family in Venezuela was doing, he replied: 'They're excited, but at the same time they have fear, they're waiting for what's going to happen - what's going to be the next step.'

Patricia Andrade, who helps newly arrived migrants through her Miami non-profit Raices Venezolanas, said she has mixed feelings about the situation, per NBC News.

As Trump confirmed the US would temporarily 'run' Venezuela and tap its vast oil reserves, the Venezuelan American community finds itself caught between celebrating the end of Maduro's rule and fearing for their own futures in the United States.