The U.S. president said he is appointing a team to temporarily run the country, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
As Venezuelans living abroad and in the United States praised the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. military, they are concerned about what comes next for the South American country and how to fully remove what they say has been an entrenched regime.
One Venezuelan man in the United States, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of political retaliation against relatives still in Venezuela, spoke with The Epoch Times about how he and his family became U.S. citizens after fleeing Venezuela under the previous President Hugo Chavez’s regime, seeking asylum as political refugees in Florida in 2010.
He has deep knowledge of the inner workings of the Venezuelan regime, having served at a high level in the country’s federal justice system and fought against Chavez’s influence that trickled into all facets of the system, he said.
He praised the U.S.’s swift actions in removing Maduro and his wife during “Operation Absolute Resolve,” which ended with no American lives or equipment lost.
“I’m really happy for the people … I have to send to my family in Venezuela money weekly because they don’t have work,” he said. “So, I’m happy.”
But, he said, removing the head from the snake doesn’t mean it won’t grow back. The regime comprises not just Maduro and his wife, he said, but it includes a number of top officials and supporters, including those in the federal judicial system.
“I cannot go back to Venezuela because I’m afraid … you know, they’re gonna take the decision to eliminate me,” he said.
If the new Venezuelan leader doesn’t take immediate and decisive action to remove the group of top officials who supported the socialist regime over the past decades, he said, the country could fall into turmoil.
“The Venezuelan regime has copied every criminal procedure to disappear people, to kill people like Russia and Cuba,” he said. “It’s a copy.”
The man expressed his happiness for millions of Venezuelans who have fled the country because of human rights violations over the years. He said his home country now has the potential to flourish without Maduro’s regime taking advantage of the nation’s bountiful natural resources, including oil, gas, and minerals, for its own advantage.
“We have iron. We have gas. We have the fuel. … So, it’s a rich country, but the regime was trying to expand that socialism throughout the continent,” the source said, adding that his country could flourish if its natural resources were used correctly.
As for Venezuelans within the country, he said he’s especially relieved for thousands of political prisoners who may now be released.
The Epoch Times spoke with Venezuelans living in neighboring Colombia, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from what remains of the Maduro regime. They were at first worried the U.S. military was launching an invasion rather than a surgical operation to capture Maduro.
Once they realized what had happened, one source said many Venezuelans began singing and dancing with happiness. Others had tears in their eyes.
By Troy Myers
Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com
