Maduro’s capture marks emotional moment for Venezuela-born Reno resident

Across Northern Nevada, people with ties to Venezuela are closely following news of former President Nicolás Maduro’s capture, reacting with a mix of relief, hope, and deep uncertainty about what comes next.

Freddy Mijares, a former Venezuelan journalist and now a U.S. citizen living in Reno, left Venezuela more than two decades ago after experiencing censorship, threats, and physical violence during the presidency of Hugo Chávez. For him, the news brought back memories of a profession and a country he says became increasingly dangerous.

“Venezuela was becoming a very dangerous place for journalists,” Mijares said. “It was very, very hard to work as a journalist over there or express your thoughts about what was going on with the government of Hugo Chávez.”

U.S. forces captured Maduro in an operation aimed at enforcing federal charges, a move expected to have wide-ranging diplomatic, economic, and political consequences. The news reached Mijares early in the morning through a phone call from a friend.

After confirming the reports online, Mijares said he felt very happy at the news, while he and his wife tried to process what they were seeing.

“So I went to Google and Nicolás Maduro was captured by the U.S. forces, and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I had to ask my wife, ‘Hey, what is the meaning of this?’ And she couldn’t believe it either. She started jumping with happiness. She was very happy.”

This story was shared with permission from KUNR and originally reported by Maria Palma in Spanish on January 8, 2026. Read the entire English version here.