On Jan. 3, on the orders of President Trump, the United States Armed Forces launched Operation Resolve. While this seems far away from OH (2,681 miles to be exact), it hit close to home for junior Luis Larrazabal, who lived in Venezuela for 10 years before moving to the United States.
Larrazabal heard of Operation Resolve early in the morning, filled at first with disbelief at the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“It was around 1:00 in the morning. Uh, I didn’t believe it at first,” he said. “Then my cousins were going crazy like, ‘Oh, they got him! They got him!’ So, I went into the phone. I searched into the news. I saw what happened.”
Once the initial shock subsided, Larrazabal was able to process what this meant for his family back in Venezuela. “I mean, I’m happy about it, but at the same time, I know nothing’s gonna like change as long as the same government remains,“ he said.
The 2.5-hour military strike resulting in Maduro’s capture came after months of buildup in the Caribbean to fight drug trafficking and failed attempts to negotiate a peaceful exit for Maduro.
Students may wonder about the purpose of our government’s actions, as it breaks with previous commitments to remain peaceful and stay out of war.
OH Social Studies teacher Brenda Shay explained that “the President has an America First agenda, and he’s willing to push the boundaries to make sure that, in his mind, the American economy and American national security are all the first priority in our agenda.”
The United States and Venezuela used to be close allies, but after Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez, who turned Venezuela authoritarian and to the political left, the two countries have engaged in diplomatic and economic bickering for the last two decades.
“The relationship between the United States and Venezuela quickly diminished after Hugo Chavez took over, and we have a narco-terrorist in control,” Shay added. “We have less political freedom, less economic freedom, and people suffering. And we, as the United States of America, don’t support governments and economies like that.”
After the capture of Maduro, Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez has, despite fiery rhetoric, has tried to cooperate with the United States.
There is a lot of controversy on what this invasion might help to achieve, and while the U.S. gained lots of oil it now has the chance to better the living conditions for those in Venezuela, like Larrazabal’s family. And he is not alone.
Several OH students have families who still live in Venezuela. While they agreed to speak to 42Fifty staff on-record, they remain anonymous sources to protect their families.
One OH anonymous student source said, “My grandfather is political, and right now he’s in jail because he was imprisoned by the Maduro administration for political activism against the Maduro’s government.”
According to 42Fifty’s on-record sources, some native Venezuelan students believe that good was accomplished through the U.S. invading their country, even though it is a controversial topic.
A second OH anonymous student from Venezuela said, “My family is kind of split in two in that part of my family had a business, right? And the government will collect profits from them, or will not allow them to buy the merchandise and all the stuff that they need to be a successful business.”
However, not all of the family feels the same way. “But for the other side…of the family we’re part of, like the local government there. So they… kind of took away their wages because like there’s no more… government…restructuring.”
Some people have lost their jobs due to the fall of the Maduro administration, while others are now flourishing because they are not restricted in their family business earnings.
Ultimately, both OH students from Venezuela agreed that they believe Venezuela has a better future, and they might even travel back to visit their family there someday.
One thing is for certain: even though the events in Venezuela are happening over two thousand miles away, the impacts are felt here at home.
My name is Gavin Baker, I'm a senior at OHS and this is my first year as a Journalist. I enjoy playing racing games, playing airsoft and racing my Traxxas RC car. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org.
You can just call me Max. I write about things that interest me. This is my second year on the team and I'm in 12th grade. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication
