IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Venezuelan immigrants in Iowa are reacting to President Nicolas Maduro’s capture.
TV9 spoke to a woman in Iowa City who said she’s concerned for her family who still lives in the country.
Ruby Caceres immigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2022.
She said she lived in fear under President Nicolas Maduro.
“They kidnap you if you say something. Maybe kill you, if you express your opinion against the government,” Caceres said.
Caceres said she had mixed feelings about the capture of her home country’s president.
“I feel satisfaction. Because I saw the U.S. take one criminal, and he won’t be there anymore,” she said.
But she adds she’s unsure about what’s next for Venezuela now that President Trump said the U.S. plans to temporarily run the country.
“He feels like he is the owner of the country you know? They take off one dictator but now we have another different dictator,” Caceres said. “But it’s like a different kind of dictatorship,” she said.
While Caceres thinks there is a drug problem in her home country, she believes that’s not the only reason the Trump administration ordered Maduro’s capture.
“The narcotraffic problem is the excuse that he has,” she said.
Ultimately Caceres said she’s most concerned for her family that still lives in Venezuela.
“They are in the house,” Caceres said. “No working, no school, nothing, because they are scared,” she said.
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