In the wee hours of the morning of Jan. 3, 2026, over 150 U.S. military aircraft flooded the skies over Caracas, Venezuela, seeking the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The operation was a controversial move on the part of U.S. President Donald Trump, who claims it’s part of an ongoing effort against narcoterrorism. The U.S. has taken Maduro into custody in New York City, where he pled not guilty to charges of narcoterrorism and conspiracy, among others. Meanwhile, President Trump has claimed that the United States will now “run” Venezuela for the foreseeable future as he continues his long-running campaign to control the Venezuelan oil industry.
Now that the dust is settling, a tense calm reportedly permeates Caracas as citizens await the next political news. Following Vice President Delcy Rodríguez’s inauguration Jan. 5 and with the government detaining potential dissenters, Venezuelans are beginning to question whether anything has really changed.
While it might not be the change many Venezuelans were hoping for, Maduro’s capture was a turning point — one with political, economic and social repercussions that Venezuelans at home and across the world are feeling. That’s why we want to turn our attention to the perspectives of young Venezuelans. What’s next for students, both in Venezuela and abroad? We’ve sifted through the news coming out of Caracas and put together what you need to know.
What’s next for schools?
Classes officially resumed at Venezuelan public schools and universities on Monday, Jan. 12, as announced in an official communication from the minister of higher education on Jan. 8.
Students and families welcomed the sense of normalcy that came with the return to class, though low attendance in some schools indicated not everyone felt things were normal enough to go. Interim President Rodríguez reported 97% attendance in public schools nationwide on Jan. 12; but teachers, unions, and families said this was not the case. According to one educational union president, the real attendance rate was around 30% in public schools and 60% in private schools, with 90% of teachers reporting for work.
The alleged attendance issue is unsurprising given current conditions in the country. The government ordered patrol cars to situate themselves near educational institutions on Monday morning as a safety measure. The Venezuelan teachers’ union, or Federación Venezolana de Maestros, sent out a communication acknowledging that the heightened military and police presence, lack of normally scheduled public transit, and general feeling of insecurity would likely impact students’ ability to attend school as usual. While government officials assure families that schools are in prime condition for classes to resume, NGO groups claim that the safety measures necessary for children to be in school are not yet in place and resist heightened militarization of educational institutions as an answer to the problem.
What about freedom of expression for students?
Since the events of Jan. 3, security measures in Venezuela have ramped up. Formal counterintelligence officers have detained journalists and citizens presumed to be against Maduro, while informal paramilitary groups of his supporters have set up checkpoints where they search citizens’ phones for evidence of being “enemies to the regime” or supporters of U.S. imperialism. This has led many Venezuelans to self-censor on social media and refrain from discussing politics in public.
Minors have been among those feeling the impacts. On Jan. 5, sixteen children aged 13 to 17 were detained as they played in the street in their neighborhood, about 200 miles east of Caracas, by police who claimed the kids were celebrating Maduro’s capture. They were accused of inciting hate and betraying their country, among other charges, and released on parole on Jan. 13. Their families say they were playing “carnaval” — a traditional game that children in the region partake in at the beginning of January.
While events like these may set a precedent of silence for many students, others continue to speak out. Leaders of the student center at the Universidad Central de Venezuela publicly demanded the release of all political prisoners this Monday, sending a message to interim President Rodríguez encouraging a peaceful transition to democracy and the disbanding of paramilitary groups.
What about Venezuelan students in the U.S.?
In June 2025, the U.S. stopped issuing new student, tourist, and business visas to Venezuelans, with limited exceptions, citing concerns to national security. The restriction was part of a basket of restrictions to many countries that was expanded later in the year.
According to this measure, the approximately 2,500 Venezuelan students currently in the U.S. with a valid F-1 visa are allowed to stay, although there is some concern these rules will be applied inconsistently at border checkpoints. Many schools are recommending that these students avoid international travel while the ban is in effect.
The number of Venezuelan students studying in the U.S. has declined in recent years as a result of these policies, down from 3,900 in the 2023-2024 school year, with current events expected to exacerbate the trend. More and more Venezuelans are looking to other regions, like Europe, for study abroad opportunities.
Perhaps the biggest concern is the population of over 600,000 Venezuelans currently living under Temporary Protected Status — many of whom are minors and students — who are receiving mixed messages from the government. Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem claimed on the fourth of the month that Venezuelans under TPS will be eligible to apply for asylum, but DHS later clarified on Twitter that TPS had ended for Venezuelans and that they should feel free to go home.
While there have not been reports of Venezuelan students deported due to this recent announcement, future repercussions remain to be seen.
For Venezuelan students across the world, what comes next is uncertain. Venezuelan students and professors at the University of Florida told The Gainesville Sun last week that the instability of the situation is worth underscoring. Mechanical engineering student Sebastián Milá de la Roca, who has lived in the U.S. since 2022, was cautiously optimistic. “I don’t want to endorse or condemn any military activity or any legal action,” he said. “But what I can say is that we have lived through decades of instability, and many of us can simply hope that whatever happens now will bring us more safety, transparency, and less suffering for families.”