Venezuelan Citizen speaks out following U.S. operation
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Following recent events in Venezuela, News 12 connected with a Venezuelan citizen who currently lives in the country and describes taking cover during the strike.
She recalled hearing explosions nearby as the situation escalated overnight.
“I promise you, Lillian, I was trembling. It started at two a.m. A plane flew so close to the buildings that my windows were about to shatter. It was incredible.”
She explained that fear spread quickly among friends, family, and neighbors as information began circulating.
“Everybody was texting and calling each other, and people were crying. People were so worried as the hours went by. We saw that the places being targeted were specifically military bases.”
The woman requested anonymity out of concern for her safety, citing long standing fears of retaliation from the Venezuelan government.
She described a climate where speaking openly has often come at a high cost.
“Because it’s so many years of hell on earth where people have been getting kidnapped, killed for just speaking their truth. They’ve literally been persecuting the journalists specifically, civilians, they’ve abused their power in so many different ways,” She stated, “You speak bad about the government. They literally go after you. So right now, like, okay, they got Maduro and his wife, thank God, but it’s like, okay, can we actually speak. Like, can we actually say stuff? Can we express ourselves?”
Opinions across the broader U.S. community remain divided.
Some praise the Trump administration’s actions, while others question whether the United States should involve itself in another country’s political crisis.
There are also claims that Venezuela’s oil and natural resources played a role in the arrest.
From her perspective, the decision brought a sense of relief.
“I can promise you that as a Venezuelan, that has actually been living in Venezuela and has lived through this tyranny, we’re more than happy to give our resources for this. This is our salvation from death, because it’s just been death all around.”
She also shared a message directed toward the American president.
“We can’t thank you enough. Americans, and Trump and American government for this that they’ve done for us Venezuelans. That’s basically what I can say to them in this specific moment. We are very grateful for Maduro and his wife’s, arrest,” She exclaimed. “Yeah, we’re just looking forward to what’s going to happen next.”
During a separate interview, the president and the secretary of state were asked whether members of Congress were informed ahead of time.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that lawmakers were contacted immediately afterward, noting the operation could not be preannounced without risking its success.
Rubio stated, “Sure, we called members of Congress immediately after. This was not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on. It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night. We watched and monitored that for a number of days. So, it’s simply not the kind of mission where you can call people and say, ‘Hey, we may do this at some point in the next 15 days,’ but it’s largely a law enforcement function.”
He described it as a law enforcement action involving the arrest of two indicted fugitives, supported by the Department of Defense.
“Remember, at the end of the day, at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice, and the Department of Defense supported the Department of Justice in that job. Now there are broader policy implications here, but it’s just not the kind of mission that you can pre notify because it endangers the mission.”
President Donald Trump added that advance notice to Congress could have jeopardized the mission, pointing to concerns about potential leaks.
“I could add one thing to that. Congress has a tendency to leak. This would not be good. If they leaked, General, I think it would have been maybe a very different result. But I have to say, they knew we were coming at some point. You know, with a lot of ships out there, they sort of knew we were coming. We weren’t there yet, but Congress will leak, and we don’t want leakers.”
As the situation continues to develop, many Venezuelans are watching closely, balancing cautious hope with lingering uncertainty about what lies ahead for their country.
