{"id":495509,"date":"2026-01-06T02:55:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T02:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/495509\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T02:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T02:55:14","slug":"houston-venezuelans-celebrate-change-in-venezuela-as-experts-warn-of-global-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/495509\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Venezuelans celebrate change in Venezuela as experts warn of global risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 As international debate grows over the United States\u2019 actions involving Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, Venezuelans living in Houston say the moment carries deep personal meaning even as legal experts raise concerns about how the operation was carried out.<\/p>\n

Dana Jimenez, a Venezuelan native who has lived in Houston for a decade, says the reaction she\u2019s seen locally and heard directly from loved ones back home reflects relief rather than outrage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have more people here in Houston supporting the actions of President Trump than people in Venezuela asking for Maduro to be released,\u201d Jimenez said while showing KPRC 2 News Reporter Rilwan Balogun a video shared with her of an apparent protest over the weekend against U.S. actions.<\/p>\n

She says she has been in constant contact with family and friends in Venezuela since the news broke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can talk to my family in Venezuela, my friends in Venezuela and they\u2019re beyond happy,\u201d Jimenez said.<\/p>\n

Despite her optimism, Jimenez says she\u2019s not yet ready to return to her home country. While Maduro\u2019s removal marks a significant shift, she believes safety depends on more than the fall of one leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy intention is to have the possibility of going back with my daughters safely and not fear for my life anymore,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Jimenez says other political figures and power brokers must also be removed before she feels secure.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaduro is one of the heads, but we know there are a lot of other people,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to wait until they\u2019re captured for us to feel free, to feel safe, to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds that many Venezuelans share that cautious hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people in Venezuela, they\u2019re hopeful. They\u2019re ready for this. They want this, but they know that they have to wait,\u201d Jimenez said.<\/p>\n

Jimenez also questions why global institutions are reacting now, saying Venezuelans have pleaded for help for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the last 20 years, Venezuela has been occupied by Russia, Iran, and China and nobody has said anything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She argues that international concern has often overlooked the human toll inside the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, the political police in Venezuela have been against their own people and the world hasn\u2019t said a word,\u201d Jimenez said. \u201cNow that a criminal is facing justice not just for narcotrafficking, but for crimes against humanity, people are concerned about him? What about life in Venezuela?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jimenez says she believes U.S. action represents a long-overdue response.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the right way,\u201d she said. \u201cFinally, someone did something in more than 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

While emotions run high among Venezuelans in Houston, legal experts caution that the method used to bring Maduro into U.S. custody raises serious international questions.<\/p>\n

Luis Duno-Gottberg, a professor of Latin American Studies at Rice University, says the charges themselves appear to follow U.S. legal procedure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe indictment for drug trafficking in Maduro seems to be rooted in legal procedures, and they seem to have followed some of those,\u201d Duno-Gottberg said.<\/p>\n

However, he says the broader action may violate international norms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of international law, it is indeed concerning because the sovereignty of a nation has been violated,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I want to be emphatic I\u2019m not pro-Maduro. I think Maduro is a terrible authoritarian leader. But this creates a very dangerous precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duno-Gottberg points to inconsistencies in how the U.S. has handled other international drug trafficking cases and questions whether the scale of the operation aligns with a law enforcement mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cost and the number of casualties seem disproportionate if the interest is strictly law enforcement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

An emergency United Nations meeting<\/a> was convened following Maduro\u2019s capture, underscoring broader concerns. Duno-Gottberg says global powers are watching closely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think in geopolitical terms, what kind of signal does that send to other big players?\u201d he said. \u201cWhat happens with Ukraine? What happens with Taiwan?\u201d<\/p>\n

He warns that Russia and China could use the situation as justification for future actions involving sovereignty disputes.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Duno-Gottberg says uncertainty remains inside Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to see how the internal forces realign once Maduro is no longer in power,\u201d he said, noting that military and security structures remain intact.<\/p>\n

For now, experts say it may be too soon for Venezuelans abroad to return home or send supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still disruption, and people are in shock,\u201d Duno-Gottberg said.<\/p>\n

He believes the United Nations could play a constructive role by supporting Venezuelan-led elections and democratic processes.<\/p>\n

As world leaders debate legality and precedent, Jimenez says her focus remains on the people she left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe humans in Venezuela need the support of the world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 As international debate grows over the United States\u2019 actions involving Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, Venezuelans living…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":495510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[222920,222917,4345,222921,222918,358,3187,222919,221665,222916],"class_list":{"0":"post-495509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-global-geopolitical-risks","9":"tag-global-risks","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-international-law-venezuela","12":"tag-maduro-extradition","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx","15":"tag-u-s-intervention","16":"tag-venezuela-protests","17":"tag-venezuelan-diaspora"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115845905125618204","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}