Video: Many Venezuelans plan to return to 'homeland' after Trump captures Maduro

Following President Donald Trump’s administration’s capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, many Venezuelan immigrants and exiles have indicated that they plan to return to Venezuela to help the country rebuild and “rise from the ashes.”

On Monday, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told Fox News host Sean Hannity that she is “planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible” due to the Trump administration’s arrest of the Venezuelan dictator.

“Every day, I make a decision [about] where I am more useful for our cause,” Machado added. “That’s why I stayed in hiding for over 16 months, and that’s why I decided to go out, because I believed that at this moment I’m more useful to our cause, being able to speak out from where I am right now. But I’m planning to go as soon as possible back home.”

Maduro’s capture and removal from power have led to Venezuelans in Florida expressing hope for returning to Venezuela and reuniting with loved ones.

David Nuñez, a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the United States six years ago due to persecution for his political activism in the South American country, told PBS that he is hoping to return to the country after not seeing his 8-year-old and 17-year-old daughters since leaving the country.

“The most important thing is that we’re going to be able to be with our families soon,” Nuñez stated. “At least for me, I haven’t seen my daughters in six years so I have a lot of mixed feelings. I’ve cried a lot. I’m really happy because I know that I’m going to be able to return to Venezuela very soon.”

Lucy Mimo, a 47-year-old Venezuelan immigrant who became a U.S. citizen after moving to the country with her young daughter, told The Miami Herald that she has been waiting for years for Maduro to be removed from power and that she plans to return to her home in Venezuela.

“Many families have been separated, divided, and scattered across the world,” Mimo said. “It’s time to fight for our country and move it forward.”

Irasel Carpavirez, a 50-year-old former lawyer who left Venezuela, told The Miami Herald that she is prepared to return to the country and is hopeful that other professionals will also return to Venezuela.

“I think this is the moment to return to Venezuela and rebuild,” Carpavirez said. “Everyone has to come back because Venezuela has to rise from the ashes.”

Announcing the capture of Maduro on Saturday, Trump emphasized that many Venezuelans currently living in the United States “want to go back to their country” since it is “their homeland.”