In a year marked by political turbulence both in Venezuela and abroad, the announcement that María Corina Machado had won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize sent ripples through communities on both sides of the Americas. For many, the award was a long-overdue recognition of Machado’s indefatigable campaign to restore democracy in her homeland. But for others—especially among Venezuelan migrants in the United States—the news was tinged with uncertainty and even anxiety, as U.S. immigration policy toward Venezuelans took a sharp turn.
On October 11, 2025, Machado, Venezuela's prominent opposition leader and a symbol of resistance against President Nicolás Maduro’s 12-year rule, told the BBC she was “grateful for what US President Donald Trump is doing around the world for peace, for freedom, for democracy.” According to BBC Mundo, Machado had spoken directly with President Trump in a congratulatory call, telling him “how grateful the Venezuelan people are for what he’s doing, not only in the Americas, but around the world for peace, for freedom, for democracy.”
The Nobel Committee, led by chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes, described Machado as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.” He explained that she was honored for “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” Despite threats against her life and being forced to live in hiding for much of the past year, Machado remained in Venezuela, her continued presence inspiring millions. “Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions,” Frydnes said, as reported by BBC.
Machado’s journey to the Nobel stage was anything but straightforward. Barred from running in the 2024 presidential elections—widely dismissed by the international community as neither free nor fair—she nonetheless managed to unite Venezuela’s traditionally fractious opposition. Machado threw her support behind Edmundo González, a little-known candidate who, according to polling station tallies, won by a landslide. But when the government-controlled National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, protests erupted across the country. From hiding, Machado continued to campaign, even as the Maduro government repeatedly threatened her with arrest.
Machado told BBC Mundo her award was “like an injection” for her political movement. “It infuses energy, hope, strength on the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone,” she said. “The democrats around the world share our struggle.” She also emphasized the importance of international support, particularly in curbing the Maduro regime’s illicit revenue streams. “The regime in Venezuela is a criminal structure,” Machado told the BBC. “And as such, it sustains themselves on the criminal flows from their illicit activities. We need the international community to cut those flows that are not only used for corruption, but also for repression, violence and terror. So when you cut the inflows that come from drug trafficking, gold smuggling, arms smuggling, human trafficking, or the black market of oil, then the regime falls. And that's exactly what we're seeing, cracks that are getting deeper and deeper as we talk right now.”
Yet, even as Machado celebrated her Nobel win, the reality for millions of Venezuelans abroad remained precarious. In Doral, Florida—often called “Little Venezuela” and home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S.—the reaction was bittersweet. According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration had recently ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole programs, which had allowed more than 700,000 Venezuelans to live and work legally in the United States. The move put these individuals at risk of deportation, and hundreds have already been sent to El Salvador, accused by the U.S. government of gang membership and “invading” the country.
“She sees the United States government as part of her strategy to restore democracy to Venezuela,” said Frank Carreño, former president of the Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce, in Doral. “She’s in that camp, not in this camp.” Carreño’s words reflected a common sentiment: while Machado’s win was a point of pride, it offered little immediate solace to those facing deportation. Iris Wilthew, a Venezuelan American retiree, echoed this mixture of pride and resignation as she hung a poster in support of Machado at a local restaurant. “She is a tireless fighter,” Wilthew said. “She has achieved this through his extraordinary effort.”
The scale of the Venezuelan exodus is staggering. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014, making it the largest exodus in Latin American history. Over 1 million have settled in the United States alone. Yet, as Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize on X to “the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause,” many migrants in the U.S. found themselves in limbo. After the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS on October 3, 2025, Machado expressed no concerns over the lack of progress for alternative migrant protections, despite earlier efforts to lobby Congress for a solution.
José Antonio Colina, a retired Venezuelan military officer and refugee in the U.S., told the Associated Press, “We hope that the award can give impetus or strength to remove Nicolas Maduro from power.” For many, the Nobel Prize represents not just a personal victory for Machado, but a rallying point for continued resistance against Maduro’s regime.
Meanwhile, President Trump, never shy about his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize, used the moment to air his grievances. According to HuffPost, Trump criticized former President Barack Obama’s 2009 Nobel win, saying, “He got a prize for doing nothing. Obama got a prize… He didn’t even know what he got. He got elected and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing, but destroying our country.” Trump went on to call Obama “not a good president,” and added, “the worst president was Sleepy Joe Biden.”
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, as reported by HuffPost, highlighted Trump’s repeated criticism and even referenced Norwegian officials reportedly bracing for Trump’s reaction should he not win the prize. “Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win the Nobel Peace Prize,” Kimmel quipped, reading a real headline and poking fun at the international anticipation of Trump’s response.
Machado, for her part, remained humble in the face of global attention. When informed of her Nobel win by Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, she responded emotionally: “Oh my God. Well, I have no words. Thank you so much, but I hope you understand that this is a movement — an achievement of the whole society. I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this.”
Amid celebrations and uncertainty, one thing is clear: María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize has become a symbol of hope for Venezuelans everywhere, even as the struggle for democracy and security—both at home and abroad—remains far from over.
