The television plays in the home of freshman Maria Villavicencio Rodriguez. She watches nervously after hearing about the invasion of Venezuela. Her cousin and her grandparents live there; she was born there, and now it has been overrun. A clip of Venezuelans celebrating in the street lights up the room. The rubble and smoke in the air surrounds the flag of Venezuela being waved. The people are filled with a new sense of hope.

“I was scared, knowing that my family was there and it was attacked pretty close to where my family lived. It was pretty nerve wracking knowing I was kind of far away from everything and didn’t know what I could do to help out,” Villavicencio Rodriguez said.

In America, many citizens are confused and angry. President Donald Trump was elected under the expectation of upholding the idea of America First, a policy that the United States will not involve itself in foreign affairs unless absolutely necessary. This concept has been upholded for generations. Now, Trump has invaded seven countries.

“I think it could have long term effects, especially once we get involved in a place like Venezuela, where they said that our involvement may be many years. That is very concerning for me,” history teacher Joshua Herold said.

Although these attacks are not a secret, it is unclear to many what the point of the recent violence is. Regardless of what the attacks are for, it creates a sense of fear within many that this may lead to bigger consequences.

“I am very concerned that we are overstretching: getting involved in things that we should not be involved with,” Herold said.

As part of the takeover, U.S. oil companies will be moving into Venezuela for their operations. Trump has also stated that the U.S. will oversee government operations until a “safe, proper and judicious transition.”

From one perspective, America is stepping in and taking over from Venezuela’s previous dictatorship under the rule of Nicolás Maduro Moros.

“Venezuelans, specifically, are not seeing the government thing everybody’s been talking about,” senior Justine Arce Ramos said. “We’re seeing what we have been through and how everything that we have been suffering through for 26 years is coming to an end. So, my family’s really happy.”

Although the dictatorship Venezuelans were once in is out, Americans stepping in may have other consequences.

“Just because I’m from there, I always just keep in mind that we had a horrible dictator, and knowing he’s not there anymore is obviously peace of mind. But, knowing that there’s someone else who could be worse in place is also pretty nerve wracking,” Villavicencio Rodriguez said.

Despite the benefits, some Americans believe these attacks go against policies that the country has upkept for years, creating fear among the nation.

“Donald Trump ran on an agenda to get America out of these foreign wars with the war in Ukraine and Gaza. Those have yet to transpire. A lot of people that were voting for him, they  wanted the America first policy,” Herold said. “So I’m getting very concerned that we’re getting in over our heads getting involved in Venezuela and Nigeria.”

According to Arce Ramos, some Venezuelans don’t feel this way. Despite the controversy of America involving itself in foreign affairs, that is not their priority when they are suffering under a dictator.

“I want people to step out of their American bubble and talk to people from Venezuela. My grandpa, my family: they don’t care if he wants our country. We just want to be free. We just want freedom,” Arce Ramos said.