LAFAYETTE PARISH (YOUNGSVILLE) — The recent capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has drawn global attention, sparking celebrations in some quarters and outrage in others as international debate swirls over its legality and impact.
In Youngsville, Venezuelan-American Daniel Lugo, who immigrated to the United States as a child, said discussions about Venezuela’s history have become more urgent since the dramatic turn of events.
“I moved here when I was nine years old, so I was able to experience Venezuela when I was very young,” Lugo said. “When you move here as a Venezuelan person, I imagine your culture sort of becomes an amalgamation of all Latin-American cultures.”
Immigrating to the U.S. in 2009, Lugo grew up in Acadiana, attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL) and now manages his parents’ Venezuelan restaurant, Patacón.
“To another person, you’re not really Venezuelan—you’re just ‘Hispanic,’” he said. “Coming to the United States, I was always told that ‘Oh, Venezuela is a failed state, it’s socialism, and to some degree communism cost it.’ That isn’t just something that happened by people here letting me know—my own parents said socialism is a very bad thing.”
Lugo said he tries to give context to Americans who equate Venezuela’s politics too closely with U.S. partisan debates.
“You can’t conflate American politics with Venezuelan politics,” he said.
Lugo described speaking with his cousin who experienced the effects of anti-government protests in Venezuela firsthand, saying his cousin who took part was arrested, detained and physically harmed during demonstrations.
“Now, they're apparently checking people’s phones, randomly stopping people in Venezuela and checking their phones. Checking if they’ve celebrated the removal of the president,” Lugo said, reflecting on reports of heightened state control and the tense reaction since Maduro’s capture.
Despite the political turmoil, Lugo said support for Venezuelan culture remains strong in his Louisiana community.
“The best way to show support is to come to Patacon on an empty stomach,” he said. “Come support us, come eat our food. We’re a small part of it, but I think to some degree we’ve become a representative of Venezuela in the community.”
