The recent U.S. operation targeting Nicolás Maduro disrupted travel across the Caribbean this winter, complicating plans for students and faculty during peak winter recess travel.
On Jan. 3, the dramatic U.S. apprehension of Venezualan President Nicolás Maduro dominated news channel headlines. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a U.S. military operation in Caracas and transported to the United States to face federal charges. The mission, carried out by elite U.S. forces, accurately and efficiently, resulted in Maduro and his wife being flown to New York. They are to appear in federal court on accusations including drug trafficking and related offenses. The situation triggered political responses around the globe. It also sparked intense discussion about international law and regional stability.
The operation made the headlines. However, not only does it affect the political situation around the world, but it also affected many members of the Hill community.
At the very time many students were wrapping up holiday vacations and planning to return to The Hill School, airlines faced sudden and widespread cancellations. Due to the military activity in Venezuela and related airspace concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued temporary restrictions over Venezuelan airspace and parts of the adjacent Caribbean starting from January 3. This prompted airlines to cancel hundreds of flights. This then includes destinations like Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, and other nearby islands that were either home or travel destinations to many students. Some students visited their families, and others were enjoying sunny beaches in the Caribbean. These cancellations were inconvenient and caused much chaos. Many students had to change their airlines, travel plans, and even delay the time they return to school.
For students whose transportation was disrupted, the experience was stressful and sometimes costly. One student, Zander Holub ’29, a 3rd former from Barbados, was caught in the middle of this disruption.
“After all the flights got cancelled, my flight was the next day. I got near the airport, and there was heavy traffic,” Holub said.
In fact, Barbados was in the Caribbean island region and was most severely affected, according to Holub.
“The security line was out of the door and all the way back to where we got dropped off,” Holub said. “The line took five hours to get through, and after we got in, there were way fewer people. All the flights were fully booked as everyone who had a flight the day before got their flight changed to the next Sunday.”
Additionally, the swimming team travelled to Puerto Rico for training and games. Puerto Rico, being one of the US’s major naval bases in the region, makes it sensitive to any actions. Airspace around the island was quickly shut down and reevaluated for potential risks by authorities.
Students also said that, even though they didn’t experience the direct impact from the disruption, there were some delays. “Some kinds of delays were the flight, airport, and how Venezuela was attacked right as we got there. Many of the airports were closed,” Noah Leigh ’28 said.
The varisty swimming head coach Jay Spencer, a U.S. navy veteran, also remarked about his experiences. “After practice, we started to see, you know, stuff coming on the news of what happened,” Spencer said. “We found out that, in fact, Puerto Rico’s airport was shut down for the entire day.”
Fortunately, the swim team remained mostly untouched by the U.S. operation. However, Spencer did mention the emotional impact of the event.“Parents were a little bit nervous,” Spencer said. “The school was a little bit nervous, but we were fine.”
Despite the international headlines and military operations, the swim team students luckily managed to navigate the disruptions without incident
“We picked the exact right time to go to Puerto Rico,” Spencer said. “We got in before the lockdown, and then it was cleared before we ended up having a lag. So, you know, with all these problems, we were back safely. ”