After Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was detained by U.S. forces early Saturday morning, people in the D.C. area expressed mixed feelings about the situation.
Maduro and his wife were captured overnight after a U.S. Military operation, which included airstrikes.
Officials say Maduro and his wife could first appear in federal court in Lower Manhattan as soon as Monday morning.
Protesters outside White House condemn attack
Protesters who believe the Trump administration’s actions against Maduro are an overreach of U.S. power gathered outside the White House.
“The United States invades a country — everything that they say makes it worse. I am tired of my country going into other sovereign countries and destroying things. It is time for the United States to stop this imperialist agenda,” said one protester.
Many said they believe the resources of the government should not be used for these types of causes.
“We don’t need wars in the world. We don’t need wars in America. It just doesn’t make any sense,” said another protester. “The money that we are spending on a war with a country that is really not any threat to us, is just. I can’t abide that. We need that money that’s going towards weapons and everything like that to go towards education, public health, food, housing, things like that,” said musician Aristotle Cuervo.
Different grassroot organizations argued the Trump administration’s action against Maduro is a war crime, and although not all of them support Maduro, some believe each country should deal with their own issues.
Venezuelan Americans celebrate
However, other residents in the DMV are glad that Maduro was captured, since they blame him for having to leave their country.
Cheers could be heard from Venezuelan Americans following the news of Maduro’s capture and removal from Venezuela.
“Very excited, very happy, very hopeful that after 26 years of communism, finally we as Venezuelans start to see the light,” said Carlos Alcazar.
From Venezuela, he’s spent the last two decades in the U.S. He shared his appreciation for President Donald Trump.
“I am grateful,” he said. “This could be the beginning of the end of communism for Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua.”
And now a main concern is if family members in Venezuela will be safe while a possible transition of power takes place.
“Yes, my family is safe staying indoors, but they have to go out to buy food because sometimes there are power outages out there. And all the shops will close because, since the regime leader left the country, perhaps they won’t be allowed to get food later. I don’t know, there are so many things to consider,” one DMV resident told News4 in Spanish.
Local leaders respond
The decision also triggered responses from political leaders at home, too.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a statement which reads, in part, “Nicolas Maduro’s abuses have harmed Venezuelans and Americans for too long. accountability for these crimes protects Americans first and foremost and strengthens democracy and security across the western hemisphere.”
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine also weighed in.
“This is an illegal war,” he said. “There is no legal justification in the Constitution, in the history of the Constitution or in American law that would authorize the president to wage war, depose President Maduro and seize the oil and run the country.”
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/sQIJ3bj
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