Venezuelan natives came together at Arepas Latin Cuisine in San Francisco Saturday afternoon. 

Just hours after President Trump launched a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, with air strikes and capturing President Nicolas Maduro, Alexis Gomez was back at work at Arepas Latin Cuisine.

"News like this, it shakes you," said Gomez. 

Gomez was born and raised in Venezuela. He only moved to the U.S. in 2019 to pursue his career as a painter. It was something he couldn't imagine doing in Venezuela at that time.

"What is going to be my future if I stay in a country like this?" Gomez questioned before moving. "The situation was very difficult."

He says in recent years, especially under Hugo Chavez and Maduro, he felt his home country was increasingly losing democratic freedoms. 

On Saturday morning, when he woke up to the news that the U.S. had intervened and Maduro had been captured, he almost didn't believe it and his feelings about it are complex. 

"All of us, we were waiting so much for this moment that something actually important happened," said Gomez. "Starting the year with all of this is kind of difficult for us, but at the same time it's a joy for all of us that we are pursuing that democracy and freedom for our country."

Johanna Rodriguez stopped by the restaurant in a Venezuelan hat and jersey. She's originally from the country and says she came out to celebrate the news with her people.

"Venezuela is going to be a free country," Rodriguez exclaimed. "We can have our people and our families that are living there, they can have a better life."

She hasn't visited in years because she doesn't feel comfortable or safe there, but she's hopeful this is the first step in change.

"I'm feeling so happy," said Rodriguez. "We were waiting for this time, this day, for a long, long time and I'm just happy. I have too many feelings right now because the people in Venezuela, what is going to be next? But so happy."

Gomez is also asking what's next. He believes this is just the beginning, and things may get more difficult before they get better.

He has faith his community can weather the storm and elect new leadership.

"We are resilient and we like to do good things, and I believe as a life philosophy of humankind that we do good things together," said Gomez.