GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – Members of the Venezuelan community in Greenville expressed their reactions Saturday following news that the United States had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an operation that removed him from the country.
In a lightning military strike, the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and spirited them out of the country to face justice in the United States.
President Donald Trump says the U.S. is “going to run” Venezuela until a transition of power can take place.
Ivan Pineda, a Venezuelan native now living in Greenville, said he was overwhelmed by the news.
“I just couldn’t believe it, I literally went to my knees, my hands were shaking, I hugged my family,” Pineda said.
Pineda described the capture as a positive development for Venezuela and its people.
“But as somebody who is an American, and was born in Venezuela, born there, raised there, this was an incredible experience, really. I cannot express how incredible this is,” Pineda said.
Pineda said political affiliation has determined success in Venezuela, which influenced his decision to leave the country.
“If you’re a Venezuelan person, right now, and you go to the university, you do everything right, you go to start a business, success does not depend on you; it depends on which political affiliation you have. It depends on how much you try to support the government. How hard can you express your love for the dictator of Venezuela. It’s very unfortunate,” Pineda said.
Democratic U.S. Representative Don Davis tells WITN he would like to see democracy prevail in Venezuela but wants transparency as the situation moves forward.
“I do believe it’s important as we move forward now for transparency, Congress is brought into the process, and remains part of this process. Especially as I listened to the president and he spoke about the us having a part in the path forward for Venezuela,” Davis said.
Republican Representative Greg Murphy released a statement agreeing with the president’s move to capture Maduro. Both Davis and Murphy said ending narcotic trafficking is important.
The military activity has affected air travel, with some flights canceled. A Greenville resident tells WITN that her friend had to disembark a plane before takeoff due to the disruptions.
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