CNN Español —
During seven years, Mariángel Carrillo called Weston, Florida, home. She moved there with much of her family, leaving her native Barquisimeto, Venezuela, due to increasing insecurity.
For the first four years in the country, she worked as a social worker at a clinic in the Broward County municipality. She later obtained a license and transitioned into the insurance industry. “I did very well, I am very grateful for the time I lived here, as I feel that the United States gave me a peace of mind that I didn’t have,” Carrillo told CNN.
That sense of security was shattered throughout 2025. With the start of Donald Trump’s second term, his administration’s new immigration policies and the ongoing operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) turned Carrillo’s American dream into a nightmare.
“Suddenly, I felt persecuted,” she recounted, visibly distressed, to CNN. “I felt very afraid to be on the street, to speak, to give my opinion, and that’s why I left my country (Venezuela),” she lamented. “My job as an insurance broker was on the street, talking to people, looking for clients…and I no longer felt safe doing that function,” she added.
Her fear mirrored that of many other members of the Hispanic community in the United States, who in recent months have expressed their insecurity in the face of numerous ICE operations. “They want to make us believe that they only pursue people who do harm or who are illegal, and that is not the case,” she said, moved.
This fear paralyzed her despite her legal status in the country, as she had a work permit until 2030, she explained to CNN. “We have been persecuted, hardworking people, people who contribute with taxes…we are being treated like criminals that we are not,” she claimed.
Carrillo was emphatic when speaking about the new immigration policy. “I don’t agree with what is happening,” she said, adding: “We are people who want the country where we are to shine, because that makes us shine too.”
As a first step, she tried to lower her profile. This led her, for a time, to exchange her car for her sister’s, which she described as a higher-end vehicle. “I was afraid to be in that car, because they look for those cars.”
“I also had an image of the Virgin Mary in the glass and they told you that it wasn’t good to have those images, because it identified you as a member of a Latino group,” she added.
But trying to go unnoticed wasn’t enough. Somehow, this change in immigration policies awakened a bad memory of past experiences that had, in fact, pushed her to abandon Barquisimeto. “In Venezuela it was the opposite, you had to move down a class (of car) so you wouldn’t get kidnapped.”
So, she didn’t hesitate and decided to leave the country for Spain. “Spain restored that security, that peace of mind,” she affirmed, sounding more relaxed. “The country has treated me very kindly…I can only say good things since I arrived.”
She arrived in September 2025, landing in Madrid to establish her new residence. This change was made possible after obtaining a digital nomad visa, which offers three years of residency while working, mostly remotely, for foreign companies.
Since then, Carrillo has enjoyed a fulfilling life in the country. Her medium-term plans involve staying in the Spanish capital, where she feels accomplished, and comfortable.
Particularly because she feels that Spain treats migrants better. “Leaving your country to start a new life, at a certain age, is already demanding,” she reflects. “To be helped, to be given a hand, to be made easier, is always appreciated.”
She only leaves the door open for the long term, hoping that one day she can return to her native Venezuela. “Like everyone,” she says. But for now, her intention is to continue enjoying this new life in which she has regained her security. “I ask God that everything continues well, as It’s going.”
