Gladis Avila was a newlywed in 2001 when she and her husband fled their home country of Venezuela, made Philadelphia their home and welcomed two daughters. 

CBS News Philadelphia caught up with her 25 years later to better understand how Venezuelans feel after the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

When we met her, it was just two days after Maduro and his wife were captured and brought to the United States. A 1000-piece Venezuela puzzle was half-finished and sprawled out on a coffee table, a gift from her husband for Christmas.

Avila said they owe everything to the U.S., but Venezuela is so special to them. Using the help of a translator, CBS News Philadelphia's Marcella Baietto, Avila said, "Thank you to the United States because we had opportunity, Social Security, opportunities we didn't have in Venezuela."

But, leaving their home country was hard, "where you left your first loves — your mom, dad, friends," she said.

The news over the weekend that Maduro had been captured left her stunned. 

"I was happy, and this is what we were all wanting, but now the big question is what happens next?" Avila said.

Her eldest daughter, Isabella Avila, is a student at Drexel University. She, too, has mixed emotions.

"We're all really, really relieved that Maduro is no longer in office, but that also opens the door to other possible dictatorships and ways that it could possibly get worse," Isabella Avila said.

Gladis Avila last visited Venezuela in 2023, but her daughters have never been. They met some of their relatives in 2019 when they visited Colombia, but they only knew Venezuela through pictures and stories from their parents.

Gladis Avila's mother died last year, but because Avila was in cancer treatments herself, she couldn't fly to Venezuela and be with her before she passed. Gladis Avila's been longing to see her siblings and loved ones ever since, and now she wonders if and when that will be possible and says many of her family members still live in fear.

"They are happy as well, but they have the same question. What's next? Especially because they've seen this story before with other countries and seeing transitions like this happen and it not always going well," she said.

A Venezuelan flag has flown outside Avila's South Philly rowhome for years, and she says she'll keep it there until her home country is free.