After a night of unrest, Venezuelan families, children, friends and strangers gathered for a celebration of the United States and of a new day for the Venezuelan community.
“Thank you, United States Army, United States Navy, United States, for helping. Thank you,” Jose Da Silva said at the Americana Community Center in Louisville.
Da Silva helped organize many Venezuelans at the community center. He said many have been awake since headlines first broke early Saturday morning of the United States military strike in Venezuela that led to the arrest of Nicolas Maduro.
“I know the process no end yet,” Da Silva said. “And with that guy is taken out, everybody happy.”
Jose Montiel, who immigrated from Santa Bárbara de Zulia, said his friends in Colombia called him last night to share the news and a moment of relief.
“It’s a feeling that no one can express it, a feeling of crying, a feeling of joy. We have shared all the day,” Montiel said.
The day was also shared with a prayer for peace and for the justice they hope Maduro will face on U.S. soil.
“Everybody’s so happy, and everybody’s ready to vote, and everybody goes to… A lot of people’s ready to go back,” Da Silva said.
Da Silva explained that peace is something his home country hasn’t felt for decades. Under Maduro’s rule, many Venezuelans who felt unsafe had escaped. A mass exodus since 2014 saw the U.N. record nearly 20 percent of the country’s population leave. But others weren’t as fortunate.
The prayer for peace was also a prayer for many to return home and to their families left behind.
“It’s like a big process from now on to… To what’s gonna happen in the three days, or four days, or one week, or one month. Nobody knows what’s gonna happen,” Da Silva said.
Even with the uncertainty of the future, many now feel unafraid to gather and celebrate the present.
“It’s only happiness. It’s the big happiness right now. That’s it,” Da Silva said.
The gathering marked a day of freedom and liberation from the Maduro regime.
