{"id":104611,"date":"2026-01-03T20:43:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/104611\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T20:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:43:13","slug":"miami-venezuelans-celebrate-u-s-capture-of-maduro-in-doral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/104611\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Venezuelans Celebrate U.S. Capture of Maduro in Doral"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"photo
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDoral Mayor Christi Fraga gathered with the crowd and spoke with the media.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

As the world reacts to the news of Saturday morning\u2019s U.S. military strikes in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>, domestic attention has turned to Doral, home to one of the highest concentrations of Venezuelan-Americans<\/a> in the country.<\/p>\n

Shortly after President Donald Trump\u2019s 4 a.m. announcement, a crowd began to gather at the gas station outside the city\u2019s popular El Arepazo<\/a> restaurant. The crowd grew throughout the day, with those gathered singing the Venezuelan national anthem through tears and cheers.<\/p>\n

Doral Mayor Christi Fraga also made an appearance, gathering with the crowd and speaking to the media. She\u2019s one of several politicians who have expressed support<\/a> for the ouster of Maduro. On Saturday, Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Mar\u00eda Elvira Salazar celebrated the capture, calling Maduro a \u201cnarco-terrorist.\u201d Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose district includes Weston, also a Venezuelan enclave, said the capture was \u201cwelcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule.\u201d But she also questioned \u201cwhy Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort.\u201d Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava shared similar sentiments, adding that \u201ctaking military action without congressional approval or bipartisan briefings is deeply concerning, as a precedent has been set.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMiami, make your New Year\u2019s Resolution Count!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re $14,000 away from reaching our $30,000 year-end fundraising goal. Your support could be what pushes us over the top. If our work has kept you informed, helped you understand a complex issue, or better connected you to your community, please consider making a contribution today.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

But outside El Arepazo, the mood was decidedly jovial. The crowd pulled out their Trump hats and posters reading \u201cWomen for Trump\u201d and \u201cMiami-Dade Loves Trump.\u201d Others draped themselves in Venezuelan, American, and even Cuban flags. Here\u2019s a look at what transpired.<\/p>\n

\"PhotoThe crowd sang the Venezuelan national anthem.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"PhotoMany could be seen recording the rally and taking photos for social media.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photo\u201cThank you, Trump,\u201d read one sign.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoOn the other side: \u201cThank you, Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photo\u201cVenezuela Libre,\u201d read one t-shirt.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoMany wore soccer shirts and other clothing featuring the Venezuelan flag.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoIf you didn\u2019t bring a Venezuelan flag with you, you could get one.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoThe crowd waved Venezuelan and American flags.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoBut mostly Venezuelan flags.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoMore singing.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoThis puppy attended the rally, too.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoOne man draped his body in a crocheted American flag.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n

\"photoAnd one woman wore a ball gown depicting the Cuban flag.<\/p>\n

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Doral Mayor Christi Fraga gathered with the crowd and spoke with the media. Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104612,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124,324,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-104611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami","8":"tag-miami","9":"tag-miami-headlines","10":"tag-miami-news","11":"tag-photos","12":"tag-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}