The first weekend of 2026 started with the news that the United States had captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro. For this episode of The Latino Newsletter podcast, host Michelle Zacarias welcomes Juan Escalante, an immigrant rights advocate, digital strategist, and storyteller who was born in Venezuela and is now a U.S. citizen.

Juan has been actively writing and creating videos this week about the country’s uncertain path, and he also shares his thoughts on the ICE killing of Renée Nicole Good.

This episode was produced by Joaquín Cotler, Juan Diego Ramirez, and Michelle Zacarias. It was edited by Julio Ricardo Varela. Music by Cast of Characters via Soundstripe.

Season 2 of The Latino Newsletter podcast was made possible through individual donations and the ⁠⁠⁠Latino Media Consortium⁠⁠⁠.

Featured image: Venezuelans in Buenos Aires, Argentina, celebrating the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro, January 3, 2026 (Photo by Roberto Fiadone, CC BY 4.0)

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guests and hosts, and don't necessarily reflect those of The Latino Newsletter or its staff.