Venezuelans voice uncertainty, fear and skepticism after arrival of US aircraft carrier in region

CNN staff

(CNN) — From concern to skepticism, Venezuelans in Caracas are expressing a range of emotions a day after the United States’ most advanced aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Latin American region and intensified the friction between both nations.

The US Navy says the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group will support other warships that have been carrying out deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean over the past two months.

Though Washington insists the military buildup is aimed at disrupting the flow of narcotics to the United States, Caracas believes the US is really trying to force regime change, and some US officials have privately conceded their strategy is aimed at removing President Nicolás Maduro.

That sentiment is shared by some Venezuelan citizens in Caracas’ El Rosal office district, who say the US should stay out of other countries’ affairs.

“It seems the United States shouldn’t interfere in that way. I think it’s an abuse,” says Noemí Lozada, a housewife.

José Román, a salesman, says that although he feels there is an imminent threat, people are acting as if nothing is happening. “We are not a warmongering country. I don’t think we ever have been, and I don’t think anyone here has prepared for this, nor will they.”

However, Frank Molina, a personal trainer, says he already knows what he would do if the situation with the United States were to escalate to confrontation. “We are Venezuelans and we will die with our boots on, and I am proud to be Venezuelan and I will defend my homeland to the death,” he says.

Tensions between the US and Venezuela have simmered for months amid the potential for more direct action.

CNN has reported that the Trump administration is considering plans to target cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside the South American nation. But the administration has also told Congress in recent days that the US did not have a legal justification that would support strikes within Venezuela, though CNN has reported that officials are considering what such a legal opinion would look like.

In Venezuela, local news stations are covering the issue closely, though under the watchful eye of the government and with its “official” version dominating the screens. Maduro’s administration closely monitors what is said in the national media, carefully controlling every word and issuing warnings when it deviates from that line.

But online, social media is awash with speculation that a political change is imminent.

And back on the streets of Caracas, some appear receptive to the idea of a US intervention, suggesting it could bring much-needed change to a country experiencing economic and humanitarian challenges.

“Well, people are quite anxious, but I think most of them are happy … about the arrival of the aircraft carrier,” says an administrator, who CNN is not naming, for safety reasons.

Another woman who asks not to be identified for fear of reprisal says, “We need help from the United States, unquestionably. If not, we cannot get out of this situation.”

Others acknowledge that there’s “a lot of uncertainty” but say that, as accountant Margarita Fernández puts it, Venezuelans are “ready and prepared for anything … I mean, for things to change.”

“Honestly, the country’s situation and everything makes me a bit nervous,” says painter Enrique Díaz. “But it’s quite unpleasant that we have to go through this because, while it’s a benefit in some ways, it’s also a discomfort for the country.”

Venezuela said this week that it was launching a “massive mobilization” of military personnel, weapons and equipment in response to the US build-up.

Land, air, naval and reserve forces were scheduled to carry out exercises through Wednesday, according to Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, who described the US deployments as an “imperialist threat.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to make its way to the Caribbean from Europe late last month. It brings with it nine air squadrons, anti-surface capabilities, and integrated air and missile defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill.

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