Venezuelans around the world rejoiced at the news of Nicolás Maduro’s capture on January 3rd by U.S. forces. Emotional celebrations have echoed around the world, from Madrid to New York, celebrating an end to the dictator’s disastrous twelve-year rule. “It’s great that he’s gone” says Miguel, a Venezuelan refugee from Caracas residing in Buenos Aires. For millions like him who have fled the regime, this is the first sign of reform after decades of authoritarianism, crushing economic crisis, and forced migration.
Currently a working professional in Buenos Aires, Miguel was raised in Anzoategui, a Venezuelan coastal state, by his mother. He explains that while growing up, he saw his family gradually lose all security and economic stability. “We didn’t have food to eat. We would have to sell most of what we owned for everyday necessities. We were constantly afraid for our lives because of threats from several notorious gangs.” Things took an even worse turn financially when a baby was born into his family. He says “that’s when we had to sell our car the first chance we got for money to migrate to Argentina.” He has never seen his old friends or relatives, who are still in Venezuela, ever since.
Isabella is a Venezuelan student living in the United States. “I grew up in Caracas relatively well-off and was fortunate to never suffer from hunger, but I would often see people salvaging food from the garbage.” She recalls those close to her being punished for their political views. “My brother has gotten arrested, all our friends have gotten arrested, and I, too, was almost arrested. I lost a lot of my friends to migration – I never knew that did not happen in other countries.” She explains, “whenever I go back home from the U.S., I don’t take new clothes, shoes etc. for my family, but toilet paper, toothpaste, and sanitary products, since they are painfully difficult to find back home. My ailing grandma also passed away because of an electricity blackout in Caracas.” Maria, another Venezuelan student living in the U.S., talks about the hardships she endured despite the country’s rich natural resources. “Venezuela is rich in oil, yet we would go days without electricity. I would see lines at gas stations, and we never had gas to cook food. I would have to light candles and write all my college applications with little to no internet or electricity.” Where did all the wealth from this oil go? She says “to the Venezuelan government and the people close to it, a group we call enchufados (plugged-in). They are all collectively responsible for Venezuela’s destruction.”
Isabella added a message for our readers: “socialists from all over are defending Maduro because they cannot tolerate the fact that this was a failure of their ideology. No matter what you think about economics or international politics in theory, this is a net good for the people of Venezuela.” Despite the victory, Miguel also reminds us that “it’s not all roses yet. Although Maduro is gone, his people are still there – some worse than him – and we want to see them out of power at the very least.” Maduro’s removal does not remove the political ecosystem designed around him. All three expressed that it was an imperative to further eradicate that whole system, and not just the face of it.
This article is dedicated to the people of Venezuela. Names have been changed to protect identity.