STORY: Venezuelans celebrated the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday (January 3) as the Colombian government stepped up military patrols near the border with Venezuela.

With dancing and fireworks, Venezuelans in the border city of Cucuta joined the celebrations, expressing hope that they would soon be able to return home.

The United States attacked Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro earlier on Saturday, with U.S. President Donald Trump promising to put the country under American control for now, even as Venezuelan officials vowed defiance.

The strongest condemnation of the attack came in a string of posts on X from neighboring Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, a leftist who has frequently clashed with Trump and has also been threatened by the U.S. president.

“The Colombian government rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America,” Petro said in one message, while calling for an immediate meeting of the United Nations Security Council, of which Colombia is a member."

Colombia hosts the largest Venezuelan diaspora in Latin America, with 2,828,195 residents, according to the R4V platform, a group of regional NGOs assisting migrants and refugees from Venezuela set up by the U.N. International Organization for Migration.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: CUCUTA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all) (NIGHT SHOTS)

1. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELANS SINGING. CHEERING AND DANCING

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN LIVING IN COLOMBIA, ANDRES VILLAMIZAR, SAYING:

"The fact that Maduro has been arrested is a big change in Venezuela and not only in Latin America and the world; it's a political turn. This will help restructure Venezuela in the short, medium, and long term, as it's not easy to return to the Venezuela our parents told us about."

3. VARIOUS OF VENEZUELANS CELEBRATING

4. FLAG FLYING IN FRONT OF STATUE OF "BOLIVAR"

5. VENEZUELAN WITH FLAG ON SHOULDERS CHEERING

6. VENEZUELANS CHEERING

7. FIREWORKS EXPLODING IN SKY ABOVE FLAG

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN LIVING IN COLOMBIA, WILLIAM ZAFIMEDINA, SAYING:

"Happy, I'm happy, like all Venezuelans. We're coming out of something that drove us crazy and forced us to flee the country. Now, we will return home to our families. I hope this continues like this. Thank God, there are countries that host us; we thank them, but there's nothing like Venezuela. In Venezuela, love is great."

CUCUTA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

9. VARIOUS OF COLOMBIAN SOLDIERS PATROLLING STREETS

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 3, 2026) (COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT – Access all)

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COLOMBIAN MINISTER OF DEFENCE, PEDRO SANCHEZ, SAYING:

"At the moment, it is very important to stay calm, serene, and use good judgment. The national police have deployed a special security detail to protect the U.S. embassy and the Venezuelan embassy here in Colombia. But it's also key that we come together and that you share information with us."

CUCUTA, COLOMBIA (JANUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

11. VARIOUS OF COLOMBIAN SOLDIERS PATROLLING STREETS