Venezuelan migrants in U.S. express worry after Maduro's capture

Venezuelan asylum seekers and Venezuelan Americans in the United States say they are uncertain about their futures after Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. authorities and brought to New York to face drug charges. Reactions in the community were mixed: some celebrated, including gatherings in Doral, Fla., while others voiced anxiety about immigration status.

Alejandro Marcano Santelli, who fled Venezuela in 2009 after receiving death threats and later obtained asylum and U.S. citizenship, said of the community response, "There is pain and happiness, but above all, worry." Nearly eight million Venezuelans have fled the country, and as of June 2025 about 1.1 million lived in the United States, including roughly 600,000 who entered under Temporary Protected Status.

The Trump administration moved to end T.P.S., a decision the Supreme Court has allowed to stand as litigation continues, and later halted asylum petitions and immigration applications filed for citizens of 19 countries. Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, told The New York Times the administration had no intention of restoring T.P.S., saying it had for decades "been abused, exploited, and politicized as a de facto amnesty program." Administration officials have said Venezuelan T.P.S.

holders could apply for refugee status, but the administration set the refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 at no more than 7,500, down from a previous ceiling of 125,000.

Key Topics

Politics, Nicolás Maduro, Temporary Protected Status, Trump Administration, Venezuelan Migrants, Doral, Fla