Doral, Florida — DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Venezuelans in “Little Venezuela” — the largest home of the country’s citizens in the United States — are welcoming news that opposition leader Maria Corina Machado He won the Nobel Peace Prize With bittersweetness as deportation threats loom.
The Trump administration ended the TPS and humanitarian parole programs that allowed both More than 700 thousand Venezuelans Live and work legally in the United States, putting them at risk of deportation. The Republican government deported hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador, claiming that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang and were “invading” the United States.
Millions of Venezuelans They had to leave their country in the last decade due to its longevity Economic and political instability; The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than 7.7 million people have left Since 2014 In the largest mass exodus in Latin America in modern history. Most of them settled in the Americas, and more than a million people came to the United States
While Machado’s Nobel Prize win was met with jubilation, there is also an acknowledgment that it will do little to improve the situation faced by Venezuelans at risk of deportation in the United States, as the former opposition presidential candidate has aligned herself with President Donald Trump’s Venezuela policy.
In February, after Trump announced he was ending Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, Machado told reporters that her team was in contact with members of Congress to “find some kind of effective protection” for law-abiding Venezuelans. But after the Supreme Court on October 3 allowed the Trump administration to end the program, it expressed no concerns about progress in its efforts to provide alternative protections for immigrants.
Machado, was honored for her struggle to achieve democratic transition in Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro She wrote on X hours after winning power, dedicating her award to “the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
Frank Carreño, the former president of the U.S.-Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce who lived in Doral, a city known as “Little Venezuela,” for 18 years, was happy with the news of Machado winning the Nobel Prize, but warned that Machado would not pressure Trump to protect Venezuelans living in the United States.
“It considers the United States government to be part of its strategy to restore democracy to Venezuela,” the Venezuelan American said. “She’s in this camp, not that camp.”
José Antonio Colina, a retired Venezuelan military officer who arrived in South Florida in 2003, said the Nobel Prize represents recognition of Machado’s fight for democracy and freedom in Venezuela.
“We hope that the award will give momentum or strength to remove Nicolas Maduro from power,” said Colina, a refugee in the United States.
Iris Wealtho, a Venezuelan-American retiree, came to Doral with her husband to wait for a large crowd celebrating at one of the most popular restaurants in Venezuela. But business continued as usual in the city, and I was surprised to find almost no one in the restaurant at noon.
Before leaving, she placed a poster bearing Machado’s name, her photo, the title “Nobel Prize 2025” and the message “#VenezuelaLibre” on one of the restaurant’s windows.
“She is a tireless fighter,” said Welthew, who has lived in the United States since 1998. “She achieved this through his extraordinary efforts.”
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Associated Press reporter Regina Garcia Cano contributed from Mexico City.