PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Protesters gathered at the Arizona State Capitol Saturday to oppose the U.S. strike on Venezuela, while a Venezuelan native expressed tears of joy over the military action.
Demonstrators filled the State Capitol courtyard for hours Saturday afternoon, expressing strong anti-war sentiments about the U.S. involvement overseas.
“We felt the need to mobilize American people who flat out reject war and want our tax dollars to be used for something else,” said Lexsiri Coronado, one of the event’s organizers.
The demonstrators then marched for an hour along Van Buren, making their message loud and clear.
“What we see this as, and what even the current president has claimed, is that this is a war for oil and it’s not a war in the name of democracy or freedom but a war just so that the big oil executives in America go in and reap the benefits of it,” Coronado said.
Devan Clyde, a protester, said the strike represents broader U.S. policy in the region.
“This is not about drugs, this isn’t even ultimately about oil, this is about consolidating US imperial influence in Latin America,” Clyde said.
Joshua Leingang, another protester, said his message was simple.
“It says no war, and I mean no war,” Leingang said, referencing his face paint.
Venezuelan native celebrates news
While protests took place in Phoenix, demonstrations in other U.S. cities were very different. In Miami, Venezuelans took to the streets to celebrate Saturday’s news.
Yordana Bolanos, a Venezuelan native who started a Venezuelan organization in Arizona, said she believes the strike will give her a chance to return to her home country.
“This is a historic day for Venezuela,” Bolanos said. “I’m going to be able to see my grandmother again. I’m going to be able to see my mom. I’m going to be able to, for my family to meet my daughter, to know my husband.”
When asked about Saturday’s protest, Bolanos questioned the composition of the demonstrators.
“I want to ask you how many Venezuelans were there? Seriously, how many Venezuelans were there?” Bolanos said.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.