HOUSTON – As international debate grows over the United States’ actions involving Venezuelan President Nicolás 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.
Dana Jimenez, a Venezuelan native who has lived in Houston for a decade, says the reaction she’s seen locally and heard directly from loved ones back home reflects relief rather than outrage.
“We have more people here in Houston supporting the actions of President Trump than people in Venezuela asking for Maduro to be released,” 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.
She says she has been in constant contact with family and friends in Venezuela since the news broke.
“I can talk to my family in Venezuela, my friends in Venezuela and they’re beyond happy,” Jimenez said.
Despite her optimism, Jimenez says she’s not yet ready to return to her home country. While Maduro’s removal marks a significant shift, she believes safety depends on more than the fall of one leader.
“My intention is to have the possibility of going back with my daughters safely and not fear for my life anymore,” she said.
Jimenez says other political figures and power brokers must also be removed before she feels secure.
“Maduro is one of the heads, but we know there are a lot of other people,” she said. “We have to wait until they’re captured for us to feel free, to feel safe, to go back.”
She adds that many Venezuelans share that cautious hope.
“The people in Venezuela, they’re hopeful. They’re ready for this. They want this, but they know that they have to wait,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez also questions why global institutions are reacting now, saying Venezuelans have pleaded for help for decades.
“For the last 20 years, Venezuela has been occupied by Russia, Iran, and China and nobody has said anything,” she said.
She argues that international concern has often overlooked the human toll inside the country.
“For years, the political police in Venezuela have been against their own people and the world hasn’t said a word,” Jimenez said. “Now 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?”
Jimenez says she believes U.S. action represents a long-overdue response.
“This is the right way,” she said. “Finally, someone did something in more than 20 years.”
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.
Luis Duno-Gottberg, a professor of Latin American Studies at Rice University, says the charges themselves appear to follow U.S. legal procedure.
“The indictment for drug trafficking in Maduro seems to be rooted in legal procedures, and they seem to have followed some of those,” Duno-Gottberg said.
However, he says the broader action may violate international norms.
“In terms of international law, it is indeed concerning because the sovereignty of a nation has been violated,” he said. “And I want to be emphatic I’m not pro-Maduro. I think Maduro is a terrible authoritarian leader. But this creates a very dangerous precedent.”
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.
“The cost and the number of casualties seem disproportionate if the interest is strictly law enforcement,” he said.
An emergency United Nations meeting was convened following Maduro’s capture, underscoring broader concerns. Duno-Gottberg says global powers are watching closely.
“When you think in geopolitical terms, what kind of signal does that send to other big players?” he said. “What happens with Ukraine? What happens with Taiwan?”
He warns that Russia and China could use the situation as justification for future actions involving sovereignty disputes.
At the same time, Duno-Gottberg says uncertainty remains inside Venezuela.
“We need to see how the internal forces realign once Maduro is no longer in power,” he said, noting that military and security structures remain intact.
For now, experts say it may be too soon for Venezuelans abroad to return home or send supplies.
“There’s still disruption, and people are in shock,” Duno-Gottberg said.
He believes the United Nations could play a constructive role by supporting Venezuelan-led elections and democratic processes.
As world leaders debate legality and precedent, Jimenez says her focus remains on the people she left behind.
“The humans in Venezuela need the support of the world,” she said.