Venezuelan migrants around the world erupted in celebration on Saturday, January 3, following the US-led deposition of President Nicolas Maduro, whose government oversaw one of the world’s largest migration exoduses in recent history.

Chants celebrating Maduro’s capture were heard on the streets of capital cities in Latin America and in Spain, where Venezuelans gathered to share their joy — and wonder what the future could hold.

“We are free. We are all happy that the dictatorship has fallen and that we have a free country,” said Khaty Yanez, a Venezuelan woman in Santiago who has spent the last seven years in Chile.

“My joy is too big,” her compatriot Jose Gregorio said. “After so many years, after so many struggles, after so much work, today is the day. Today is the day of freedom.”

Since 2014, 7.7 million Venezuelans or 20% of the population, have left the country, unable to afford food or seeking better opportunities abroad, according to the UN International Organization for Migration.

Neighboring Colombia has received the largest share of the diaspora, with 2.8 million Venezuelans, followed by 1.7 million in Peru, according to the R4V platform, a group of regional NGOs assisting migrants and refugees from Venezuela set up by the U.N. migration agency.

In Peru’s capital Lima, dozens of Venezuelans gathered, many wrapped in their country’s flag, to mark Maduro’s deposition.

Venezuelan migrant Milagros Ortega, whose parents are still in Venezuela, said she hoped to go back.

“Knowing that my dad was alive to see the fall of Nicolas Maduro is very emotional. I would like to see his face,” she said.

Peruvian President Jose Jeri said on X that his government would facilitate the immediate return of Venezuelans, regardless of their immigration status.

“For those of us living in exile, it is an immense joy,” said Cynthia Diaz at a small march convened in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. “Venezuelans, sooner rather than later, will return to Venezuela – to a free Venezuela, to a Venezuela that is a land of greatness,” Diaz said.

For years, the US was a haven for Venezuelans, but many were branded criminals and forced to seek refuge elsewhere during President Donald Trump’s second term.

In Spain, thousands of people gathered at central Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and applauded as they watched Trump give a live press conference.

Later in the evening, Venezuelans also celebrated in downtown Buenos Aires.

“It’s what we have always hoped for,” said Yeison Urdaneta. “We have waited for Venezuela to be free, to be able to return … Argentina has sheltered us, they treat us very well. I’m very thankful, but I’m Venezuelan.”

Speculation about the future

After the initial joy, doubts about Venezuela’s future also set in, as Venezuelans abroad wondered what the future would hold for their country and its citizens.

Andres Losada, who has lived in Spain for three years and is among the 400,000 Venezuelans residing in the country, according to official data, said he is struggling between worry and joy about the situation in Venezuela.

“Although what people are going through in Caracas is tough, I believe that beyond that there is a light that will lead us to freedom,” he added.

“We are still not at the point where we can say Venezuela is completely free,” said Maria Fernanda Monsilva, a Venezuelan who gathered at a march in Quito, saying she hoped Edmundo Gonzalez, the Venezuelan opposition’s main candidate in the 2024 presidential election, could take power.

“Many of us who are abroad want to return,” Monsilva said, “This is the first step in a series.”

Speaking to a local TV station in Spain, Agustin Rodriguez, the vice president of a Venezuelan cultural association, expressed concern about the strikes but said they “may be necessary to find a way out for the country in which there can be a return to power alternation, where there can be a future.”

Trump on Saturday promised to put Venezuela under American control for now, including by deploying US forces if necessary, until “we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.” – Rappler.com