The first chants of “libertad” cut through the air well before dawn in Doral, the suburban Miami city where up to 40% of the population is Venezuelan. Hundreds of people, dancing, singing and waving Venezuela’s yellow, blue and red flag filled the street outside the El Arepazo restaurant, the traditional community meeting place, as they celebrated the downfall of the despised president Nicolás Maduro.
The euphoria lasted well into the day on Saturday as residents learned how the strongman and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores, were snatched from their beds by US military members and bundled away towards an eventual court date in New York City.
