Tension between the United States and Venezuela grew this week after President Donald Trump suggested military strikes in the region could begin soon and met with his national security team to discuss potential next steps.
Venezuela is currently under a “do not travel” advisory from the U.S. Department of State. Trump said last week that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety.” The Federal Aviation Administration warned all pilots to “exercise caution.” As a result, several international airlines canceled or suspended flights to Venezuela.
The situation has sparked mixed reactions among Florida’s Venezuelan residents, many of whom face deportation.
About half of the U.S. Venezuelan population of 770,000 lives in Florida, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 33,400 live in Tampa Bay.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ended temporary protections for Venezuelans that were put in place under President Joe Biden and paused immigration applications from 19 countries, including Venezuela.
According to the Congressional Research Service, more than half a million Venezuelans have temporary protected status, a federal designation often renewed automatically every 18 months.
José Antonio Colina, founder of Miami-based VEPPEX, a nonprofit operated by politically persecuted Venezuelans, said a military intervention would be welcomed by many exiles who have spoken out against corruption and the harsh treatment of the opposition under Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
“In the case of the political exile community in South Florida, the common feeling, I think, is support and hope,” said Colina. “It feels like someone is finally trying to deal with the bad neighbor on the block.”
In recent weeks, the United States has carried out attacks against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific after Trump sent more warships toward Venezuela, including the biggest U.S. aircraft carrier. These operations have sunk 21 boats and led to dozens of deaths, according to the Associated Press.
Former Venezuelan Army Chief Carlos Julio Peñaloza said in an interview that in the event of a U.S. military invasion, he hopes someone in Venezuela will take action inside the country to stop the conflict.
“I believe it is something that should occur, even though it has not yet happened,” said Peñaloza.
Bryan Stern, who founded they Grey Bull Rescue Foundation in Tampa in 2021 to evacuate Americans from areas affected by natural disasters and conflict zones abroad, said his group is getting ready to help Americans in Venezuela if the situation continues to worsen.
Grey Bull Rescue is not part of the government and doesn’t charge for its missions, Stern said. Many of its members are veterans or former government workers. They keep basic communication with U.S. officials so authorities know when Grey Bull teams are moving and to make sure they don’t confuse them with criminal groups, he said. Grey Bull has rescued more than 8,400 people from disaster areas and war zones such as Gaza and Syria.
Stern believes there are up to 30,000 Americans living in Venezuela.
“If you’re an American citizen and you get stopped at a checkpoint or are targeted, it’s very possible you’re arrested or kidnapped as a bargaining chip for negotiation against the Americans,” said Stern.
Federico Alves, a Venezuelan-born economist in Tampa, said Venezuelans want a negotiated solution, “not a foreign military intervention”. If a military operation does happen, Alves said, he hopes it will be short and will respect Venezuelan institutions.
“We do not want the Venezuelan state to be dismantled. We do not want institutions replaced or treated as if Venezuela were a conquered country,” Alves said.
Alves said the goal is a democratic transition led by Edmundo González Urrutia, who has claimed victory in Venezuela’s latest presidential election, and inspired by María Corina Machado, a longtime opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
“What we want is a rescue that allows a legal government,” Alves said.