At 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, Javier Marin woke up in his Ogunquit home to his phone ringing with calls from Venezuela.
On his screen were already voicemails and messages from family in Caracas, all trying to make sense of the chaos as the United States military struck the capital city early Saturday. Soon, he learned that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces.
“I have a niece who lives pretty close to one of the bombing areas. So she was completely in shock, because even though we have been under a drastic and terrible dictatorship for 25 years, the country is not used to those types of explosions,”said Marin, 58, a Spanish-language newspaper owner and author.
Marin and his family left their native Venezuela around 2000, fearing the rise of former authoritarian president Hugo Chávez, who was succeeded by Maduro in 2013. As Marin still has four family members in Caracas and friends held as political prisoners of Maduro, he waited anxiously this weekend for updates about the U.S. operation almost 2,300 miles away.
“It was very shocking. There’s a lot of fear, still a lot of fear, and very, very few hours of sleep in the last two days,” said Marin.
President Donald Trump’s large-scale strike against Venezuela on Saturday, which resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, has prompted mixed reactions internationally. As the future of Venezuela and the United States’ role in the country’s governance and oil resources unfolds, many Venezuelans in Maine expressed “hope, but also fear of hope,” about the developments in their home country.
Venezuelan journalist Yasmielen Beatswine fled the country in 2016, as her reporting under the dictatorship made her fear for her safety, she said. Maduro’s government reportedly targeted and arrested journalists covering protests. Living in Portland since 2023, Beatswine was alerted to the news on Saturday by fellow journalists still in Venezuela.
“There was uncertainty, confusion, so a mix of emotions. It was very emotional, because this is news that we’ve been waiting for more than 25 years,” said Beatswine in Spanish through a translator.
Beatswine, 33, said she understands there is a wide difference of opinion in the U.S. on the operation, with demonstrations of opposition, including a protest in Portland on Saturday and condemnation from Maine lawmakers. At the same time, she hopes Mainers keep in mind that many Venezuelans oppose Maduro’s leadership and have protested him for over a decade.
“It’s important to emphasize that Venezuelans never stopped fighting,” said Beatswine.
As Maduro and his wife face federal narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, among others, some Venezuelans in Maine are not yet ready to rejoice at the fall of the government.
“The cancer has not been cured yet,” said Marin. “There is a celebratory feeling, because the dictator is out and is facing, hopefully, a fair justice trial and system. There is also the other feeling of uncertainty and if there is going to be a restoration of democracy, which is what we have been begging for in the last 25 years.”
Marin and Beatswine both said they are concerned that remaining supporters of Maduro, such as the vice president and the military, will uphold his regime. As the situation continues to unfold, they asked Mainers to keep in mind Venezuelans’ desire for support in building a democracy.
“I would argue that international organizations should not leave Venezuela alone or isolated until there is a democratic system and a democratic government,” said Beatswine.
“If we talk in chess board language, there’s not a checkmate yet,” said Marin. “My hope is the restoration of democracy, and anybody that can help for that will be very appreciated.”
