Lebanese in Venezuela navigate uncertainty

Days after the U.S.-led operation that resulted in the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, attention has shifted toward the country’s evolving political and security landscape. For the Lebanese community in Venezuela one of the country’s most deeply rooted and historically significant diasporas uncertainty now dominates, as families await clarity on what lies ahead, even as daily life continues largely uninterrupted in many areas.

In response to the rapidly evolving situation, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji announced that he had met with Lebanon’s ambassador to Venezuela, Nisrine Bou Karam, to assess the situation of Lebanese nationals in the country. He instructed the embassy to maintain close and continuous contact with community members to ensure preparedness in the event of emergencies, and urged Lebanese residents to reach out should conditions deteriorate. According to the most recent estimates, approximately 340,000 Lebanese citizens reside in Venezuela, making it one of the largest Lebanese communities in Latin America.

On the ground, the security situation has so far remained relatively calm, particularly in Caracas and other major urban centers. Neighborhoods with a strong Lebanese presence have not reported significant disruptions, and small businesses, supermarkets, pharmacies, and other essential services continue to operate normally. According to local sources, many residents describe an atmosphere of cautious optimism, with some Venezuelans expressing hope that recent developments could eventually lead to improved living conditions after years of political and economic hardship.

Yet this surface-level calm masks a deeper sense of uncertainty. The absence of a clear political roadmap, combined with lingering questions over governance and international involvement, has created an atmosphere of careful observation. While violence has not materialized, communities with longstanding economic and social ties to Venezuela particularly the Lebanese remain acutely attuned to unfolding developments.

A long history of migration

Lebanese migration to Venezuela dates back to the early 1860s, driven in part by Ottoman policies that restricted economic exchange between the Lebanese mountains and coastal regions. This economic paralysis, coupled with rising taxation, intensified hardship and triggered the first major wave of Lebanese emigration to the Americas. Early Syro-Lebanese migrants often mislabeled as “turkos” due to their Ottoman passports arrived through ports such as Margarita Island and Puerto Cabello before settling in key commercial cities, where they rapidly advanced socioeconomically and played a central role in expanding trade and industry.

Three additional migration waves followed World War I. The first was driven by economic hardship under the French Mandate in Greater Lebanon; the second occurred amid mid-20th-century regional upheavals, including the Arab Israeli war and the 1958 Lebanese crisis. During this period, Venezuela’s open-door immigration policy, combined with its demand for skilled and entrepreneurial labor to support a growing oil economy, made it an attractive destination for Lebanese migrants seeking opportunity and stability. A third major wave followed the Lebanese Civil War, during which nearly 40 percent of Lebanon’s population emigrated, with many ultimately settling in Venezuela.

In the 21st century, however, Venezuela’s political and economic collapse accelerating after 2018 sharply altered this trajectory. Hyperinflation, collapsing purchasing power, and the breakdown of public services severely eroded living conditions, prompting many Lebanese Venezuelans, particularly younger generations raised in Venezuela, to migrate once again. Many returned to Lebanon or sought opportunities elsewhere, producing a pattern of “return migration.” The parallels between Venezuela’s crisis and Lebanon’s subsequent financial collapse further deepened feelings of displacement and vulnerability.

Integration, influence, and vulnerability

After more than a century of settlement and intergenerational presence, Lebanese-Venezuelans became deeply embedded in the country’s social fabric. While early migrants were predominantly Christian, the community also includes one of the largest Druze populations outside the Middle East and has seen a steady increase in Lebanese-Muslim migration over the past century. Lebanese descendants rose to prominence in commerce, industry, and public life, contributing significantly to Venezuela’s development.

Several figures of Lebanese descent have held senior political positions, underscoring the extent to which the diaspora has been intertwined with Venezuelan state institutions.

Today, as Venezuela enters yet another uncertain chapter, Lebanese-Venezuelans though not directly targeted remain keenly aware of how quickly stability can unravel, continuing their daily routines while closely monitoring the country’s shifting political and security dynamics.