Jan 5, 2026 - Politics

The stakes for Chicago Venezuelans after U.S. attack

Monica Eng

Protesters at night hold signs reading "No war on Venezuela" and "Stop the bombings," with others carrying signs opposing war on Venezuela and supporting President Maduro. — Demonstrators gather at the Dirksen Federal Building Saturday to protest U.S. military airstrikes on Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Photo: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images

Chicago is home to one of the largest Venezuelan communities in the U.S. outside of Florida and Texas.

Why it matters: The U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could alter the fate of the city's nearly 20,000 Venezuelan-born residents, as some may look to return home while others may be forced back as deportations continue.

While some local Venezuelan residents told the Sun-Times they're happy about Maduro's ouster, they also voiced concern about a U.S. takeover of the country and its oil.

By the numbers: During the 2019–2023 period, the U.S. Census estimated that about 10,200 people of Venezuelan origin lived in Cook County.

In Chicago alone, that number rose from 7,175 in 2023 to 19,409 in 2024, according to a Sun-Times analysis of U.S. Census figures.
While more than 51,000 migrants — many of Venezuelan origin — were bused to Chicago during the 2023–2024 migrant wave, it's unclear how many stayed and/or were included in census data.

Zoom in: This weekend, Mayor Brandon Johnson said President Trump's actions in Venezuela were "illegal" and "solely about oil and power."

Downtown protesters characterized the actions as shedding "blood for oil."

Zoom out: Under the Biden administration, an estimated 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. secured Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing them to live and work here for a set period.

But last year the Trump administration ended the protections, a move the Supreme Court has so far upheld.
Eileen Higgins, the new mayor of Miami, which hosts the nation's largest Venezuelan community, on Saturday called on Trump to reinstate TPS for Venezuelan residents, citing increased instability.

The latest: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisted on Sunday that the U.S will not reinstate TPS and that Venezuelan deportations will continue because the country is "more free today than it was yesterday."

Add Axios on Google

The stakes for Chicago Venezuelans after U.S. attack

More Chicago stories