Geopolitics

I come from a country that has invaded the United States.

But this invasion hasn't been military nor armed.

While I'm not proud of it, I want to explain how the magnitude of my country's crisis has impacted the U.S. border.

Farcaster OG | FID: 10174 | @fireflyapp Ambassador | /bnfarcaster 🎙 in Spanish  | https://web3.bio/cryptowenmoon.eth

Venezuela's crisis is no secret. This massive exodus has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee in search of a better future.

One of the main destinations has been the United States, but reaching this country has meant facing tremendous challenges.

Many Venezuelans, unable to get a visa, have crossed on foot from Colombia, through the Darién Gap—the most dangerous jungle in the world. In this jungle, danger is constant: venomous snakes, wild animals, diseases like malaria, and worst of all, criminal gangs preying on migrants.

In the Darién Gap, people have lost their lives, some from exhaustion, others from fatal accidents. Many have been victims of rape and robbery, especially women and children, who are the most vulnerable.

It’s a journey that leaves lasting scars on those who survive it.

Once in U.S. territory, they were detained by authorities and sent to detention centers or, in some cases, even prisons.

After spending weeks or months there, they were released.

This process became so common that many Venezuelans began to repeat it, and the word on how to cross spread quickly.

Some even decided to bypass the coyotes and cross on their own, facing the dangerous waters of the Rio Grande on the U.S.-Mexico border.

I have friends and acquaintances who have made this journey.

Some walked all the way from Colombia, crossing through Central America, while others flew to Mexico and then crossed on foot into the United States.

These stories show the desperation of venezuelans.

In the past year alone, more than 2 million migrants have crossed the U.S. border illegally, and a staggering over 200,000 of them have been Venezuelans.

This is just one example of the impact of the migration crisis.

This post is a clear example of the crisis happening at the U.S. border.

What’s surprising is that many Americans are unaware of this situation, while in other countries like Venezuela, people are much more informed about how it works and what conditions are like at the U.S. border.

While we often think that the problems of other countries don’t concern us, they can have a direct impact on us—just like Venezuela’s crisis is affecting the United States from within.

After surviving the Darién, migrants continue their journey on foot through Panama and Mexico, facing hunger, illness, and extortion.

Since around 2020, Venezuelans have taken advantage of U.S. border policies to cross, paying between $5,000 and $10,000 to coyotes to guide them across.