People in Venezuela didn’t celebrate Maduro’s capture out of fear of government repression, construction worker says

People were slow to resume routines in Caracas after President Nicolás Maduro was deposed and captured in a dramatic U.S. military operation. Dozens of stores, restaurants and churches remained closed. Those on the streets looked shell-shocked, staring at their phones or into the distance.

“People are still shaken,” said 77-year-old David Leal, who arrived to work as a parking attendant but realized he likely would not have customers. He pointed to the deserted street, a few blocks from Venezuela’s presidential palace, which was guarded by armed civilians and military personnel.

‘May God give us strength’

Venezuela is no stranger to political tumult, but the the dead-of-night U.S. military operation early Saturday marked a new chapter with no ready script.

U.S. President Donald Trump initially said the U.S. would “run” the country until there was stability, a remark that Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to walk back on Sunday.

Rubio insisted in interviews that Washington will use control of Venezuela’s oil industry to force policy changes, and called the government currently in place illegitimate. The country is home to the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.

“We want to see Venezuela transition to be a place completely different than what it looks like today. But obviously, we don’t have the expectation that’s going to happen in the next 15 hours,” Rubio said.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, flanked by the high military command, told Venezuelans that Maduro was still the rightful leader. Presidential duties, however, now belong to Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, whom the high court ordered to assume the role of interim president.

Rodríguez made no public comment Sunday.

Maduro’s cadre of government officials demanded his release from custody in New York, where his first court appearance is set for Monday. State-controlled media did not air the images of him handcuffed on U.S. soil.

Venezuelans instead saw them on social media, and many could not believe their eyes.

“May God give us strength for what we are experiencing. I’m sad. He is a human being,” said Nely Gutiérrez, a retiree, as her eyes welled with tears. “They have him handcuffed, and if he is in the hands of the empire, no one can save him from there, only God, not even God. He will die there.”

Gutiérrez had walked to church only to find it closed. She said she would have prayed for peace in Venezuela and for Maduro. She declined to say whether she ever voted for him but said, “The word of God says love your enemy.”

Fear of celebrating

In the U.S. and some Latin American countries, Maduro’s ouster was celebrated.

In Venezuela, the scene was different, with some supporters burning U.S. flags and holding signs reading “Gringo go home.”

Others muted any anti-Maduro feelings for now. Construction worker Daniel Medalla said people did not dare celebrate out of fear of government repression.

“We were longing for it,” Medalla, 66, said of Maduro’s exit.

Memories remain fresh of the government crackdown following the 2024 presidential election, which Maduro claimed to have won despite credible evidence that he lost by a more than 2-to-1 margin. Protests left 28 people dead, 220 injured and at least 2,000 detained, according to official figures.

The presence of police and military personnel across Caracas on Sunday was notable for its smaller size compared with an average day. Soldiers attempted to clear an area of an air base that burned along with at least three passenger buses during the U.S. attack.

Rubio in interviews said no U.S. forces were on the ground in Venezuela but didn’t rule out further strikes there.

Death toll from US operation still unclear

Venezuelan officials have said Saturday’s operation killed civilians and military personnel. But they have not given a toll, and the government’s press office has not responded to multiple requests.

In the coastal state of La Guaira, families with houses damaged during the operation were cleaning up debris.

Wilman González, left with a black eye from a blast, picked through rubble at home, surrounded by broken furniture. One part of his apartment building was almost entirely blown off, leaving walls gaping.

Among those killed was González’s aunt.

“This is it, what we are left with: ruins,” he said.

González spoke with anger at the wreckage but also at the compounding economic and political crises that Venezuela has endured for decades.

“We are civilians. We are not with the government or anyone else,” he said.