_{Venezuela is a country in South America which borders between Colombia and Guyana. Other neighbouring countries include Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.}

_{Before the refugee crisis, Venezuela was rich with oil and very prosperous. There was a very stable political system consisting of democratic frameworks before Hugo Chavez.}

_{The crisis can be tracked back to the early 2000’s when Hugo Chávez was elected president and began implementing socialist laws and policies. This is a cultural settlement activity because the political scene of the country was remodeled, which affected the economic and social state of the country.}

_{Venezuela heavily relies on its abundant resources in the oil industry, and when oil prices heavily dropped in 2014, Venezuela’s economy began its collapse. As an effect of this, hyper-inflation, and corruption from the government worsened the situation.}

_{This economic collapse resulted in shortages of food, water, medicine, shelter, and other basic supplies, leading to rises in unemployment rates as well as national poverty. More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014.}

_{Due to the economic crisis, many citizens, and government, of Venezuela resorted to illegal habitat destruction, such as illegal mining and deforestation. The Vice President Delcy Rodriguez claims it is vital for “promoting economic growth,” (Mongabay). Around 90% of Venezuela’s mining activity is illegal, despite the government claiming that they give permits for “legal mining,” (Science Panel for the Amazon).  This is a large impact on the natural environment, by mass destruction.}

_{The Venezuelan trash management system has also failed. OEP estimates that around 28,000 tons of trash is dumped every day, and only 5% of it is recycled. The rest of the trash ends up in the environment, which contaminates water and the ecosystem. This is an unhealthy impact on the natural environment, caused by the instability of the country.}

_{The NGO “Alert” in Venezuela reported multiple sightings of “irregular armed groups in the country committed human rights abuses, including killings, torture, kidnapping, internal displacement of Indigenous communities, trafficking in persons, and exploitation of women and children.” [social impact]}

_{According to the U.S state government report: “Observers noted Maduro representatives confiscated the assets of political opponents to intimidate and punish them. In January, de facto authorities broke into Auristela Vásquez’s (a Venezuelan Politician) apartment and announced that it was being confiscated. There were no reports of restitution being made for such property seizures.” This is both a political and social impact because the tensions have led to little reinforcement of laws and mistreatment of citizens.}

_{According to the Great Integrated Household Survey in Colombia, the share of refugees and immigrants that were women was 47.6% in 2018, while it increased to 50.2% in 2020. This pattern of data suggests that the amount of woman immigrants have been increasing since the beginning of the crisis. This could be related to the rates of pregnancy, as well as age. [demographic impact]}

_{These factors have all contributed towards the more than 7.7 million Venezuelan immigrants around the world. This is a historical impact because this is the largest recorded refugee crisis in the Americas.}

_{Man-made barriers have been created at borders to prevent Venezuelan immigrants from crossing, due to the mass amounts of Venezuelan immigrants in Mexico trying to cross into the U.S. These have included installations of razor wires, floating barriers in the Rio Grande, and new bases for National Guards. This is an impact on the man-made environment.}

_{Many immigrants have been forced to move to Southern Mexico, where many have set up migrant camps. These shelters often become overcrowded, and many cleared by the Mexican or U.S. government. This is an impact on the man-made environment as these locations used to be empty but are now overcrowded with migrant campsites.}

_{“Migrants say they must pay corrupt officials at Mexico’s frequent government checkpoints to avoid being sent back to southern cities. Each setback is costly and frustrating.” This is a political impact as governmental corruption is occurring so that these Venezuelan migrants do not get deported.}

_{Government officials and migrant advocacy groups arrived at migrant camps on the banks of the Rio Grande in order to persuade these groups to abandon their camps and board buses to shelters where they claim space is available. This is a social impact as these migrants are being persuaded to move around by the government and others.}

_{Many migrants that have arrived in Mexico from Venezuela, waiting to enter the United States, have been deported back to Venezuela, or forcefully moved to other locations. Mexico has signed agreements with Venezuela to deport migrants, but also employ them. These agreements also agree that migrants in Mexico will be given around $110 a month, as well as working opportunities in both countries. These are demographic and economic impacts as people are being moved around due to these agreements, but also presented with better economic opportunities.}

_{There has been significant investment from Venezuelan immigrants on real estate and housing market, particularly in the Miami metropolitan area. This investment has led to impacts on the man-made environment through growth in buildings and communities, as well as construction in residential and commercial buildings across the state.}

_{Venezuelan immigrants have created new businesses, which allow for entrepreneurship and new job opportunity. Venezuelan-owned businesses such as restaurants and professional services have blossomed in cities like Miami and Doral. This is an economic impact because the immigrants are contributing to the economics of Florida by working.}

_{They have been very vocal about the political and economic landscape of Venezuela, aiming to raise awareness and advocacy. This is a political impact as these actions have influenced a U.S. foreign policy towards Venezuela, which aims to stand with politicians who are pro-democracy and anti-Maduro.}

_{Venezuelan immigrants have also helped contribute and shape Florida’s cultural and social diversity. They have contributed new types of cuisine, art, music, and traditions to the people and the state. This is a social impact because Venezuelan cultural events have been created, such as the "Great Drum Festival of San Juan" and "Sentir Venezuela," and are very popular which creates hubs of Venezuelan-American culture and community.}

_{The increasing amount of Venezuelan immigrants in Florida have contributed to the Hispanic and Latino population of the state. This is both a historical and demographic impact as this shift in demographics has influenced the state’s political view and landscape, and voting patterns. Hispanic and Latino representation have shifted from what it historically has been.}