Children play in the waves near an oil tanker docked at a pier of the El Palito refinery of the state oil company in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Like many other Venezuelans, Ramón Arape said the image of ex-President Nicolás Maduro in U.S. custody was a stunning — and welcome — sight. Like many other nations, Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in the 20th century, a process begun in the 1970s under a U.S.-allied government in Caracas. “This is all a farce if they get rid of Maduro just to appropriate and sell the oil,” he said. “We didn’t go through all this so that Trump can name his people and take over our oil,” he said.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 05, 2026 02:47 UTC