Exiles leaders in Miami celebrated the arrest of Nicolás Maduro as a "day of liberation" for Venezuela and the region, believing that the action by the armed forces of the United States this Saturday directly strikes at the axis of authoritarian regimes led by Caracas and Havana.
Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, coordinator of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC), expressed his support for the U.S. operation and stated that for the first time there is an administration willing to apply the Inter-American Reciprocal Assistance Treaty of 1947.
According to him, the capture of Maduro represents a direct blow to the very regime that "misgoverns Venezuela and Cuba" and opens a historic opportunity to restore the sovereignty of both peoples, he emphasized during a public event broadcast live by journalist Javier Díaz through his Facebook account.
Gutiérrez Boronat described the day as a reason for celebration for the exile communities and stated that the fall of Chavista leadership marks the beginning of the end of what he called the "axis of evil" in Latin America.
In English and Spanish, he reiterated his support for the Venezuelan opposition leadership, particularly for Edmundo González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, and defended Washington's actions as a step toward restoring Venezuelan sovereignty.
The activist Sylvia Iriondo, president of Women Against Repression for Cuba (MAR, for its acronym in English), stated that Maduro's arrest means “one fewer tyrant in the hemisphere” and emphasized the unity of the Cuban exile community in congratulating the Venezuelan people for years of struggle.
Iriondo expressed his hope that the process would lead to a real transition that would allow Venezuela to regain its independence and sovereignty, and he linked this fact to the historical aspiration of a free Cuba.
Other participants, including political prisoners, veterans of Brigade 2506, analysts, and community leaders, agreed that Maduro's capture will have a domino effect in the region.
Johnny López de la Cruz described the moment as the beginning of a new democratic era for Venezuela and Latin America, while Dr. Rafael Marrero argued that the operation demonstrates the political will of the U.S. administration to confront what he called "narcodictatorships" with support from external actors.
The interventions emphasized that pressure must continue until changes are achieved in Cuba and Nicaragua.
Several speakers emphasized that Maduro's detention generates fear in Havana and weakens allied regimes, while also calling for the unity of the exiled community and support for new actions against the remaining dictatorships.
The day was marked by the announcement from President Donald Trump regarding the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a U.S. military operation in Caracas.
Trump stated at a press conference that the United States will maintain control over Venezuela until a "fair and orderly transition" occurs, linking that presence to the management and reorganization of the oil industry with the involvement of American companies.
Chavismo denounced an aggression, while the Venezuelan opposition and regional allies referred to a historic turning point.
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