The U.S. and Venezuela have been in the midst of an almost year-long conflict surrounding alleged drug trafficking and illegal immigration from Venezuela into the U.S.
Tensions have been high since the start of 2025, when an executive order signed by President Donald Trump allowed drug cartels, such as the Venezuelan transnational organized crime syndicate known as Tren de Aragua, to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations, according to The Associated Press.
Since then, Trump has ordered numerous strikes on Venezuelan boats accused of smuggling drugs into the U.S., with the first attack occurring in September 2025. According to the AP, the U.S. has carried out 35 known strikes on boats in South American waters supposedly carrying illegal drugs, killing at least 115 people.
A recent Jan. 3 move of intervention in Venezuela, which the AP describes as dramatic, shows an increase in pressure. The U.S. forces conducted strikes in Caracas, detaining Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Both were flown to New York, where Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Marco Osio, 55, a resident of Cambridge, Ohio, was born in Venezuela and moved to the U.S. when he was 11. Osio has conducted business in Venezuela and has family in the country, including those working in military positions.
Osio said he is extremely optimistic regarding the recent intervention by the Trump administration, stating the authoritarian regime has put many Venezuelans into poverty. Osio said the average salary for an engineer in Venezuela is $400 per month. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states the mean annual wage for an engineer in the U.S. is $118,350.
“The majority of the 33 million people that occupy Venezuela today, 90% of those people live below the poverty level, and not to say that there are not college graduates or university graduates,” Osio said. “It's just that their ability to make money in Venezuela, relative to what it costs to go to the grocery store, to a restaurant, is such a disparity.”
Patrick Barr-Melej is a professor of history at Ohio University with a special focus on modern Latin American history. Barr-Melej was born in Venezuela but is of Chilean-American descent.
Barr-Melej said it is difficult to determine the stability of Venezuela at the moment, without knowing how the countries both plan to collaborate moving forward.
“What happens in the near, medium and distant future is largely in the hands of U.S. policymakers in Washington, and would also depend on the responses of the current pro-Maduro regime in power still in Venezuela, in the absence of Maduro himself,” Barr-Melej said.
Since the removal of Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez has assumed the role of acting president and recently released several opposition figures in a move to seek peace. Trump has praised the Venezuelan compliance under Rodríguez’s government.
Barr-Melej discussed how the conflict might continue moving forward.
“I think what's left of the Maduro government now is quite concerned about its future, and it is very likely working with the United States behind the scenes on a plan that won't necessarily be mutually beneficial, but will be largely beneficial to the U.S., not to that Maduro government,” Barr-Melej said.
Dan Pittman, senior director of communications at OU, commented on how the university is planning to support students during the current conflict.
“OHIO's Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is committed to providing our entire international student community with the individual support and resources they need to succeed during their time at OHIO,” Pittman wrote in an email. “We encourage our international students who have specific questions or concerns to reach out directly to the ISSS team via phone (740.593.4330), via email or online.”
Osio categorized the environment in Venezuela as “hostile,” describing the unsafe conditions for residents. He said individuals on motorcycles are roaming the cities, threatening, kidnapping and even killing Venezuelans who express joy over Maduro’s capture.
“I think that's the untold truth, that when people are out there protesting what happened, and we have free speech, this is one of the reasons why I love this country … feel free to do that, but at least give yourself the chance to hear the other side,” Osio said. “And the other side are people like me who absolutely know and have experienced and live that directly.”
