A group of Venezuelans gathered in New Haven to mark the historic moment of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro’s capture and removal to the United States Saturday.
Maduro and his wife were captured following the surprise military operation overnight.
The group’s reaction is mixed with some rejoicing and others worried about what happens next
“This is the beginning of the end,” Vimary Parra of Cheshire said. “That means I’m very happy for my people, I’m very happy for my country. I really want to go back one day and I want my kids go to my country so I can show them how great it is.”
Holding Venezuelan flags, the group sang the national anthem of Venezuela. The song’s theme of being free from oppression stood out to attendees.
Laura Almeyda from Milford grew up in Venezuela during the Chavez and Maduro administrations.
“As the years went by and close to the time when Chavez died, it started feeling more and more like surviving because basic products of basic necessity were scarce,” she said. “About 80% of the population were in extreme poverty.”
While there were feelings of joy, there was also worry about what could happen in the coming days and weeks.
Travel was impacted when U.S/ federal officials restricted flights to and from the Caribbean, citing concerns of escalated military operations in Venezuela.
Airports in Puerto Rico were swamped with passengers figuring out how to get home.
Two arriving flights into Bradley International Airport from San Juan were cancelled, as well as an early morning flight from Tweed New Haven Airport to San Juan on Saturday.
The federal aviation administration said that the airspace restrictions will expire at midnight on Sunday.
State representative Geraldo Reyes said he is worried Puerto Rico will be caught in the middle of the two countries.
“Puerto Rico right now is facing the ramifications,” he said. “We just finished building up the tourism package and the whole entertainment package with the residency that Bad Bunny just did there to bring back all those people back to Puerto Rico to draw the economy up. Now we got the people that were going back to Puerto Rico for the Three Kings celebration, which is coming up on the sixth of January. Everybody’s in limbo.”