Page 13 - Demo

February 2026 | Gazette Life | 13Antonio and Rosa are two Venezuelan/Canarian residents who live on Lanzarote. As they fear reprisals against family in the country, we%u2019re not using their real names, but both are active in Venezuelan associations on the island. They started to receive messages from family members in the early hours of January 3rd and, once the news of Maduro%u2019s capture was confirmed, Rosa says their reaction was celebration. %u201cThere was a lot of happiness,%u201d she says. %u201cFor us, this means the beginning of the end of this regime.%u201d Both have been deeply worried about family members in Venezuela in recent years, and have taken part in aid events that sent medical supplies to the country during the Covid pandemic. Rosa says that, in Caracas %u201ceveryone is at risk. The security forces can arrest you and will search your phones and social media accounts for anything that is against the regime. If they suspect you, they%u2019ll arrest and torture you.%u201dAntonio points out that many commentators and media complained that Maduro%u2019s arrest was against international law, but asks %u201cWhere were their objections when Maduro and Ch%u00e1vez were imprisoning thousands of political prisoners, including peaceful protestors?%u201d As for whether the US%u2019s intervention is merely an oil grab, Antonio points out that the oil industry in Venezuela would not have been possible without initial investment and infrastructure provided by US companies who were booted out by the Chavez regime. %u201cThings were better when the Americans were there,%u201d says Antonio. Although they welcomed the removal of Maduro, both express uncertainty and worries about the future. For the time being, the ruling regime in Venezuela remains in place, with Maduro%u2019s second-in-command, Delcy Rodr%u00edguez, remaining as acting President. Donald Trump has made no indications that this will change or that elections will be permitted in the near future. Other worries involve family members in the United States, where almost half a million Venezuelans live. Many of these arrived in recent years, fleeing the crisis in their home country. Last October, the US removed the temporary protected status (TPS) of all Venezuelan immigrants who do not have a Green Card permitting residence in the United States, meaning that all non-naturalised immigrants must undergo the difficult process of submitting asylum claims. Rosa tells us that she has family members in Florida who are now afraid to leave their homes following round-ups and raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents whose numbers Trump has more than doubled since taking power last year. %u201cIt%u2019s better not to travel, not to expose yourself,%u201d she says. Spain, in contrast, is a far more welcoming destination where shared language, customs and strong historical ties mean that Venezuelans are rarely targeted, even by anti-immigrant parties. Both Antonio and Rosa hope for democracy to return to Venezuela. They would support the appointment of Edmundo Gonz%u00e1lez, who is widely believed to be the real winner of the contested general election of 2024, as President. However, Gonz%u00e1lez remains in exile, as does last year%u2019s Nobel Peace Prize winner Mar%u00eda Corina Machado, who has also been proposed as a possible leader. Antonio says %u201cFor the time being, people are still trying to leave Venezuela. The transition to democracy will be long and difficult %u2013 the regime still controls the security forces in the country %u2013 but if stability and democracy is established, I think many will return.%u201d %u201cIf stability and democracy is reestablished, many will return%u201d