CINCINNATI — Luciano Añez spent the first 16 years of his life growing up in Caracas, Venezuela's capital city.
"By the time I was 16, and by the time I was closing to leave, my mom and I were living in the house where water would come for 30 minutes a day, at 6 p.m. every night," Añez said.
Añez said that, amidst the love and family, there were constant fears for safety.
"I lived in a country where it was so dangerous that when I wanted to go to a friend's house, I would have to stay until 6 a.m., until the light came on, because it was so dangerous at night," Añez said.
Throughout the years, many of his family members left for other countries.
"My dad left to Peru, my sister left to Spain, my uncles left to the U.S., to Peru, to all different countries," Añez said.
Then, in December of 2020, Añez and his mother made that same decision, moving to the U.S. The two joined his stepfather in Cincinnati.
Watch to hear from a young man raised in Venezuela following the capture of the nation's president:
Fast forward just about five years, and Añez is spending the holidays with family in Florida. The 21-year-old told me family was awoken by an uncle back in Venezuela early Saturday morning.
"My uncle called at about 1 a.m. from there and he would just scream that they were bombing. He didn't know who it was or what was exactly going on, but it was just a bunch of explosions," Añez said.
From there, it was difficult for his family to get information on what was taking place, according to Añez.
Eventually, through online updates and official announcements, Añez and his family learned that the United States conducted an operation to capture President Nicolás Maduro and take him into U.S. custody. Maduro's wife was also flown out of the country.
"We were happy in a way. We've been wanting a change for so long, and this is the first time we can see something really happening," Añez said.
However, the Xavier student told me he has lots of concerns for what's next for Venezuela.
"I think we are happy with the U.S. government, with the help that they are giving. Concern about the sovereignty of Venezuela, too, you know. We want to be a free country. We want to be able to make our own decisions. But at the same time, we believe that we can have such a good relation, a partnership with the U.S.," Añez said.
In the days that followed, there have been protests over the U.S. government's involvement, including here in Cincinnati.
I asked Añez if there was anything he felt people in the United States didn't understand about the situation in his home country.
"I think it's easy to talk when you haven't lived in that situation. We wanted to do it ourselves, we wanted to be able to change the regime ourselves, but we couldn't," Añez said.
Now he is hopeful for a brighter future for Venezuela.
"I’m not the one to say what is exactly going to happen, but whatever it is, I hope it’s the right thing for the country and I hope that God is on our side," Añez said.
Añez is currently a permanent resident but said he hopes to become a citizen soon. He is also hoping for a time when he'll be able to visit family in Venezuela often.
