On May 23 in Caracas, Venezuela, an evacuation drill was conducted at the US Embassy. The exercise involved two helicopters carrying US military personnel, as well as ambulances, firefighters, and other security teams.

The aircraft were tasked with “transporting troops, equipment, and supplies from ships and land bases for combat assaults and support,” according to the US Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command.

The exercise took on great significance for both countries. In fact, the head of US Southern Command himself, General Francis Donovan, oversaw the military exercises in Caracas. Additionally, during his stay, he held important meetings with the Venezuelan government and with US embassy staff.

The government of Delcy Rodríguez reported that it authorized the US teams to conduct the drill in accordance with “standard diplomatic security and protection protocols.” The Venezuelan government also reported that the evacuation drills were carried out in coordination with Venezuelan aviation authorities.

Clearly, the situation is quite different from the days leading up to January 3, 2026, when US troops invaded Venezuelan territory and took then-President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, prisoner, who were later transferred to New York, where they are currently being held. The operation, according to Venezuelan estimates, resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people, including several Venezuelans and Cubans.

Following the January 3 attack, a new relationship was established between Washington and the new government, led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who has reached a series of political and economic agreements with the Trump administration, which now include security exercises on Venezuelan soil by US Marines.

Rejection by Chavista supporters

The situation, however, highlighted certain tensions between the diplomatic and political stance of the Rodríguez administration – a member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela – and several members of the same political organization.

In fact, a protest was held in Caracas by groups of Chavistas who rejected the US military exercises, viewing them as a clear form of interference in Venezuela.

The protesters chanted “No to the drill!”, “We don’t want to be a US colony,” and “Yankee go home!” while waving Venezuelan flags in a central square of the Venezuelan capital, while elsewhere, the sound of aircraft conducting the evacuation exercise could be heard.

“Today we are protesting because this pretense of mutual aid they want for disasters in Venezuela is just another example of their manipulation, of their interference in a free and sovereign country,” Mariela Machado, a leader of the Movement of Residents, told EFE.

In addition, Machado said: “Today we are telling ordinary Venezuelans that this is a dignified people, that we are pursuing a policy of diplomacy, but let them make no mistake – it won’t be that easy for them. If there is no oil for us, there won’t be any for them either. We will all die, comrades.”

Another demonstrator, Víctor Romero, told the press: “The [US] exercise is nothing short of a provocation against the Venezuelan people. We are upset by the interference of the United States government.”

And while Romero reiterated his support for Delcy Rodríguez and her approach to diplomacy, he also acknowledged that there is a form of “coercion and threat” against the Venezuelan government by Washington that is forcing it to comply with decisions from the North.

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