‘Bittersweet’: Windsor’s Venezuelan community reacts to U.S. strikes, Maduro’s capture

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

The capture of Nicolas Maduro by the United States is being marked as a “bittersweet” moment by some Venezuelans living in Canada.

In what U.S. President Donald Trump described as a “large-scale strike” on the South American country’s capital on Saturday, Maduro and his wife were reportedly captured and transported to the U.S. to face charges.

Awaking to the news Saturday morning, Luis Mendez of Windsor couldn’t help but think to himself, “finally it’s here.”

Raised in Venezuela until the age of 11, Mendez moved to Canada in 1994 and later settled in Windsor.

“Removing Maduro and his regime out of power is huge because we all know his corruptions. His lack of respect for overall human rights and freedom of speech,” Mendez said.

Worried by the state of corruption, inflation, and crime, Mendez hasn’t returned to his home country in 11 years, despite having family still living in Venezuela.

Over the years, he’s lead community efforts to raise money and resources for those struggling in Venezuela.

Maduro has maintained power for more than a decade through stolen elections.

For Mendez, the attack, while necessary to achieve a change of regime, endangered innocent lives.

“I can’t help but think of the potential innocent lives that could have been lost,” he said.

As the events unfolded, Mendez says he received messages from a family member about the jets and helicopters flying overhead.

“So loud, so thundering that it felt like there was an earthquake on the ground. You know, that’s uneasy right, because when they’re that close to your family members, you never know if a bomb or something’s going to be dropped near their living headquarters,” he explained.

Following the attack, the U.S. has stated plans to “run” the country with plans to tap its massive oil reserves.

Change was always going to come at a “price,” says Mendez, but there’s a feeling of being “uneasy” as they enter another period of uncertainty.

“What does that mean for our economy in terms of their meddling with our economy and now us just basically following to the things that they want and see more is beneficial to their economy,” Mendez noted.

With plans to return to Venezuela soon to see family, Mendez is hopeful the country will be lead under a democratic regime that serves under a vision to improve the country.