DORAL, Fla.—Music, singing, dancing, smiling, tears of joy, a savory scent of slow-cooked meats, and a faint aroma of tequila filled the afternoon and evening of Jan. 4 in Doral, Florida, where the largest community of Venezuelans in the United States resides.
At a local restaurant specializing in Venezuelan food, especially the signature dish of arepas, hundreds of expatriates gathered out front to celebrate Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s capture in the U.S. mission dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve. In the early morning hours of Jan. 3, the U.S. military launched a calculated, precise attack on Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, where they apprehended Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
