DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
Here in the U.S., perhaps no place is following what's happening in Venezuela closer than in South Florida. It's home to the nation's largest population of Venezuelan expats. Hundreds turned out early this morning at a popular gathering spot to celebrate and sing.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in non-English language).
ESTRIN: NPR's Greg Allen is in Miami. He joins us now. Hi, Greg.
GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Hi, Daniel.
ESTRIN: So where are you?
ALLEN: Well, I'm at El Arepazo restaurant in Doral. This is, as you say, a popular gathering spot here. It's - and this is a city where some 40% of the residents have their roots in Venezuela. People started arriving here fairly early this morning, before sunrise, shortly after President Trump posted on social media that U.S. forces had captured President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and his wife and flown them out of the country. People are here waving Venezuelan flags - a huge crowd. Vendors are selling them from their cars. They're singing, people embracing friends and family. It's a real celebration that's been going on here all morning.
ESTRIN: Celebration. What are the people you're speaking with - what are they saying?
ALLEN: Well, you know, the mood here is just totally joyous because, you know, people have been gathering here and advocating for this and talking about what could be done for decades now. And I think many people scarcely thought it was possible. And the news today was a big surprise. People were woke up - woken up by their parents and others who were following very closely. I spoke to a woman, Maria Aristieta (ph), who was born in the U.S., but she grew up in Venezuela. And like everyone I spoke to, she was ecstatic.
MARIA ARISTIETA: It's a huge step. It is not the end 'cause it's not going to be easy, but it's, like, it's the president at the end of the day, and the first lady. And they just took them out from their houses. Like, that's crazy.
ESTRIN: Greg, are the Venezuelan expats you're speaking with, do they expect they'll be able to return to Venezuela with Maduro out?
ALLEN: Well, as one man I spoke to today said, it's really the beginning of the end. I think many here do anticipate that they'll be going back soon to try to pick up the lives they left behind there. I spoke to a Cuban American woman who came out today early to support Venezuelans here today. She was called by her Cuban American father, who said she should get out here. She said the celebration reminded her of the one in Miami after the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died several years back. But she noted that, despite that, the regime held on to power in Cuba, and things there are worse than ever. So that's kind of a lesson, I think, that she sees possible for Venezuelans. Let's see what happens here next.
ESTRIN: Greg, President Trump was popular with Venezuelan American voters in the last election. What are they saying about Trump now?
ALLEN: Well, you know, there's not that many Venezuelan voters compared to many other Hispanic groups in this country, but they did support Trump very much, so in the last election, I think they saw him as a tough guy who can maybe do something. That support declined in recent months with the crackdown on immigration. The Trump administration lifted temporary protected status for more than a half million Venezuelans, meaning that many have had to go back home to the country that's still in turmoil. But Venezuelans today, I think, are very happy with President Trump. They're joyous. They're - but they say that a lot will depend on what happens next, whether the transition back to democratic rule happens as quickly as many hope it will.
ESTRIN: OK. That's NPR's Greg Allen in Miami. Thank you, Greg.
ALLEN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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