By Ricardo Lezama 
Americans should be frustrated and indignant at the destructive, war mongering sanctions that have played a significant role in sparking the great Venezuelan immigration wave. While there have been several steps taken in accord with basic humanitarian principles, such as the Temporary Protected Status authorized for some new arrivals, there also needs to be a greater effort to discuss eliminating the need for mass migration altogether. Ultimately, we don’t have mass migration from countries like, Uruguay or Paraguay, or any other region with a stable economy. We should understand why.
Quick summary description of Sanctions:
For years, Venezuela’s state oil agency has been locked out of lucrative oil export markets. The unfortunate events linked to war between Ukraine and Russia have given Venezuela the ability to have some limitations lifted, but the past restrictions have had cumulative effects on the socialist’s government ability to provide basic services.
- Sanctions on PDVSA: These sanctions froze about $7 billion in U.S.-based assets of PDVSA and expected to block $11 billion in revenue to the Venezuelan government during the first year. This action has significantly reduced Venezuela’s ability to conduct international trade and access the global financial system.
- Secondary sanctions: Similar to the sanctions applied to Iran, the U.S. has imposed “secondary sanctions” on Venezuela, which penalize third-party countries that engage in certain transactions with PDVSA. This has inhibited other nations from engaging in oil trade with Venezuela, further isolating the country economically. In 2017, Trump imposed sanctions that are alleged to have killed tens of thousands of people.
- Gold sector sanctions: In 2018, the U.S. banned transactions related to Venezuelan gold, targeting another critical source of revenue for the Venezuelan government.
These sanctions not only prove to be onerous towards the population, but actually affect Americans ability to obtain social services as these services become redirected to populations in greater need that make their way here today.
These sanctions, under the guise of political interventions, have left Venezuela’s economy in shambles and its people in an unimaginable plight. The ripple effects have been catastrophic, leading to an exodus fueled by desperation. Removing the sanctions and allowing a government to function, even if imperfectly and undemocratically, will improve the condition of both populaces.
As a nation founded on the principles of freedom and opportunity, the struggles of Venezuelan immigrants should be viewed in the context of their plight in balance with the laws of the US. However, like most immigrants that preceded them, this latest set of arrivals are often scapegoated and politicized, rather than seen for what they truly are – victims of political and economic strife. It is essential that we direct our anger and demand change from the root cause – the war mongering sanctions, instead of the refugees they produce.
America Intervenes: The Guaidó Fiasco
Failed Coups have also been added on top of crippling sanctions. The lack of political stability has also caused region instability as Colombia has not only been the first country to receive so many migrants, but also been privy to managing smuggling and criminality associated with such instability. The US constantly manages to turn any decent middle income Latin American country into a cauldron of violence and controversy.
At one point, Juan Guaidó was visiting and parleying with Donald Trump and his advisors in order to wrestle control away from Nicolas Maduro. Juan Guaidó is a Venezuelan politician who served as the president of the National Assembly from 2019 to 2020. In January 2019, during the term of Nicolás Maduro, Guaidó declared himself as the interim president of Venezuela, sparking a political crisis. This was due to the international controversy surrounding the results of the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election in which Maduro claimed victory, an election widely regarded as rigged.
Guaidó’s self-proclamation was recognized by several countries, including the United States and many members of the European Union, but his attempt to govern Venezuela proved unsuccessful. Despite gaining international recognition, Guaidó struggled to consolidate power within Venezuela. His efforts were hampered by a lack of support from the Venezuelan military, which remained loyal to Maduro, and a lack of consensus within the opposition itself. There was also Guaidó’s sheer unpopularity in the country he was supposed to ‘legitimately’ represent. It would seem that the insane number of non-profits, think tanks and special operations psy-ops campaign on his behalf failed to ingratiate Guaidó with the population. The failure was so dismal even Trump, who was no friend of the Venezuelan government, was willing to call it quits on the collaboration between the US and Guaidó’s coup.
With his calls for public protests and mass uprising not having the anticipated response, they were also met with harsh crackdowns from Maduro’s government. His political gambit simply increased country’s economic crisis, which further eroded his public support. Thus, Guaidó’s attempt to instigate change and govern Venezuela, while initially showing promise, ultimately failed, largely due to internal divisions, lack of military support, and the enduring grip of Maduro’s regime. The best outcome is to simply stop opposing the normalization of basic government functions in Venezuela.
The Wave: Venezuelan Poverty & Desperation
The recent influx of Venezuelan immigrants can be explained with one word: sanctions. The sanctions cumulative effect was to raise the poverty rate a whopping 94 percent. In its first two years, malnutrition and neglect left some 40,000 people dead. This was the logical aftermath of depriving both the commercial economy and state planned one with the ability to generate stable prices and investment returns.
Episode after episode of imperial overreach highlighted the need for Latin American governments to claw back any resources from the US and its vassals. In one instance, the British government took over Venezuela’s gold reserves was one of the most blatant abuses of power on their part. This is one of the reasons behind many countries opting to move away from the US dollar which would be devastating to the US consumer.
In this quest to break the back of Venezuelan people, the US has chosen to cozy up to questionable characters. For instance, as most Venezuelans saw basic food staples slip away from economic reach, the very people the US intended to replace Chavez’ political descendants were wreaking havoc in Cucuta, Colombia, snorting coke and partying with local prostitutes, according to local newspapers.
Many individuals look upon immigrants as the source of an issue. Quite the contrary, Venezuelans reaching the United States are the logical consequence of the US sabotaging the ability of multiple nations to regulate themselves economically and politically. We should take heed of this basic reading of contemporary history and manage the immigrants arriving to the US with dignity, but also attempt to understand the root causes behind their willingness to cross a jungle and rivers to reach American soil.