Venezuelans react to Maduro capture
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) New tonight, Nicolás Maduro appeared before a U.S. judge today, pleading not guilty after being captured and brought to the United States. The dramatic move is reshaping Venezuela’s future and reopening deep concerns for Venezuelans living here.
News Channel Three’s Garrett Hottle is at the Breaking News Center.
Maduro’s court appearance comes after years of U.S. pressure on Venezuela’s leadership, dating back to the era of Hugo Chávez. Some supporters of the move call it accountability, while some critics warn history shows foreign intervention rarely brings stability.
With Maduro now in U.S. custody, Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally, is overseeing the government in Caracas, with the military and state institutions still aligned with the existing power structure.
“The U.S. has done this before to other countries when they intervene and most of the time hasn’t gone just right," Grecia Conteras, a yucca valley resident, born in Veneuzla said. "But these are real people. These are real people’s lives.”
More than eight million Venezuelans have fled their country in recent years, many now living in Southern California.
As Maduro’s case moves through U.S. court, they’re watching closely, hopeful for change, but wary of who truly holds power.
