As U.S. fleet steams toward coast, Venezuelans face uncertainty, fear and, for some, hope

Karakas, Venezuela – US warships vapor towards the southern Caribbean. Nicolás Maduro, who condemned the Trump administration, has doubled for $ 50 million in Maduro and a prize in his head. An invasion, coup or other US intervention social media rumors.

For the surrounded people of Venezuela, hyperinflation, food scarcity, authoritarian rules and fraudulent elections – a new stage of concern, which are in a crisis for more than a decade, once again rush. Nevertheless, the Venezueel people are trying to make soldiers.

Leisy Torcatt, 44 -year -old Leisy Torcatt, who chaired a baseball school in a country where his passion for sports helps eliminate despair, said, uz We are trying to maintain our activities and programs, ”he said.

“Our daily problems continue, but we cannot be paralyzed. … We continue to try to solve our differences,” he said.

There is an inevitable feeling that is out of the control of people. Anti -Maduro street protests of the past years have done very little to exit or weaken Maduro and the opposition. The authorities imprisoned the opponents and broke their coup attempts.

And now, once again, Venezuela appears in Washington’s plus signs.

“We’ve already seen them all,” said journalist 28 -year -old Mauricio Castillo. “We’re not tired of the belief in the possibility of real change. But we’re tired. We can’t just stop our lives, we can’t wait to wait for ‘something’.”

People shop in the city center in the central business area.

Here in the capital, Venezueli people are accustomed to the advanced martial ritual: more blockade streets, more unity in the streets, Maduro will be “imperialist ,, more barricades protecting the presidential palace against the invasions against the invasions.

Nevertheless, despite the existing sea accumulation in the Caribbean, the Trump administration gave Venezuela very mixed signals.

During the first presidency of Trump, he recognized a shadow opposition President, accused Maduro of charges of drug trafficking and imposed brutal sanctions on oil and financial sectors. The sanctions were once in the richest country in South America.

Economic melted, almost one -third of the population, about 8 million Venezuelas led to a migration. Most of them ended elsewhere in South America, but hundreds of thousands of people reached the United States. Trump emphasized that they were not welcome by ending the Biden administration period guards and accelerating those deported.

A man corrects a spider -man costume at the San Jacinto Popular Market in Karakas.

During the presidential campaign – and since he returned to the White House – Trump said he had evacuated Venezuela’s prisons and sent the worst criminals to the United States.

However, shortly after taking office for the current period, Trump sent Richard Grenell to a special ambassador to meet with Maduro and created hopes of improved relationships. Washington later ordered the US oil giant Chevron to continue to operate in Venezuela, which hosts the world’s largest oil reserves in the world’s largest oil reserves, with a hard cash and oil for the US market.

Later, in July, the Trump administration greeted the release of 10 US citizens and permanent residents held in Venezuela in exchange for the return of hundreds of Venezuela citizens who were deported to El Salvador.

In the meantime, the United States regularly send back to Venezuela in another sign of other exile.

“We have seen that President Trump has clearly approved his participation policy with Venezuela so far,” said Geoff Ramsey, a senior member of the Atlantic Council, a Washington -based research group. “The US will not invade Venezuela soon.”

45 -year -old Janeth, a teacher of a community school, poses a portrait in Karakas.

Others say they are not so sure, despite the possible negative feedback that Trump is reluctant to participate in more war, and the possibility of US intervention inevitably revived the memories of past invasions, black grab and right -wing dictators.

For US officials, Maduro and drug trafficking are not integrated. The White House label Maduro, the president of the “Sun Carteli ıl, a smuggling network allegedly attached to the Venezuela government and his army. And Trump reportedly directed Pentagon to plan a possible military action against Latin American cartels. (Maduro rejects drug charges and rejects them as a US disinformation campaign.)

The major scope of US maritime employment seems to reflect the policy perspective of hawks such as Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, who has long had a harsh stance against Venezuela.

The accumulation is reported to contain at least one submarine and more than half dozen warships, including thousands of sea and sailors. The White House says it is not to overthrow Maduro, but to deterd the sea narcotic leakage.

“This is a lot of effort to put it on something with performance, right?” Laura Cristina Dib said, in the Washington office in Latin America, a research group, he chaired his Venezuela research.

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1. “Faith for our people,” says President Nicolás Maduro’s face in Karakas with his face. 2. Venezuela is a patriotic backpack with flag colors and stars.

In contrast, Maduro supported the militia records, deployed 15,000 soldiers to the Colombian border, and insisted that US forces could enter Venezuela. The US debate shows that sea accumulation was produced in Colombia, most of which cocaine, and entered the United States via Mexico, and shows that there is an effort.

“Nuclear submarines are fighting with nuclear submarines,” he said, “Nuclear submarines,” Venezuela UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada said to journalists on Thursday.

Most of the independent calculations, Maduro probably lost last year’s elections-Monitors, objected to the alleged victory-but many supporters of the US Saber Graptting, considering a high-profile support show.

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1. People walk in front of a politically loaded wall picture near Bolivar Square. The Iranian forest ship depicted on the right side of the wall came to Venezuela during the shortage of fuel in 2020. 2. A former military tank at Los Próceres near the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Karakas.

The government organized the public records of Militia members and showed the desire to fight for the socialist heritage of the late Hugo Chavez, the mentor and predecessor of Maduro at the Mirafloreres Palace.

Grandma and proud militias 54 -year -old Orlando López said, “When the moment comes to defend our country from foreign aggression, none of us will be afraid.” “He is not right that he wants to impose the will of the president of another country.”

He rejected the concept of a widespread sense of irritability.

López, which is part of more than 1 million civilian militia, who supports Maduro, said, “The climate in the city is one of peace,” he said.

In a recent Sunday, Father Leonardo Marius at the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Roma Catholic Church in the Baruta region of the capital, called for congregations to ignore the drum of the war that hit the air waves and the internet. Venezueel people, more basic concerns should focus, he said.

“In Venezuela, half a million children are not enough to eat – nobody talks about it, Mari Marius said to the congregations. “But we love the Hollywood stories of boats and aircraft carriers. Hollywood caused a lot of damage.”

A girl skating skates at Los Próceres near the Fuerte Tiuna Military Base in Karakas.

Javier Martín, a businessman in a luxury sports club throughout the city, said it was difficult to ignore the noise.

Martín, “the atmosphere in the country, but especially in Karakas, fear, distress, uncertainty,” he said. “You see the hooded authorities on the streets, and this makes you feel fear like in a war.”

Venezueel people, some kind of “surreal” existence, always did not come to developments and changes while predicting their lives and families to protect their families said.

“Every day we live troubled in the corner,” he said. “Not sustainable.”

What’s next?

“Everyone expects something to happen, Mart Martín said. “I hope it is positive.”

Special correspondent Mogollón reported from Mexico City, the author of Caracas and Times staff.