Love on the Run
By Giles Clasen
Maria and Juan’s S life together began in a shrimp processing facility in Venezuela, where they worked long hours to support themselves.
“We peeled and sorted shrimp until the early hours of the morning,” Maria said. “It wasn’t much, it was stinky, but we made it work because we had each other.”
Their bond, forged in the face of poverty, political turmoil, and violence, carried them through unimaginable challenges that brought them to the United States.\
Juan and Maria asked that their real names be withheld for safety reasons under the current political climate.
Juan joined the Venezuelan special forces at a young age because the military was the best opportunity for poor Venezuelans with little education. He retired from the military because he was being ordered to violently subdue those in opposition to President Nicolas Maduro.
“When I joined the army, it was to defend my country,” Juan said. “But after the death of President Hugo Chavez, the military was turned against its own people. I couldn’t reconcile my oath with what I was being asked to do — repress unarmed civilians. I left the armed forces because my conscience wouldn’t allow me to stay.”
Juan eventually joined the protests because he felt there was nothing to lose. He saw his Indigenous Wayuu community under attack by government forces and felt he had to act.
During a peaceful 2016 demonstration, Juan was captured by colectivos, armed groups loyal to the Maduro regime that kidnap, torture, and kill the opposition.
“They beat me, and one of them grabbed me and hit my back with a baseball bat, causing a fracture and compression in the spinal cord. I was left for dead, lying on the street,” Juan said.
Doctors Without Borders saved Juan, but he will use a wheelchair for the rest of his life and is unable to move his left foot.
Colectivos pursued Juan and threatened to kill any friends or family caught supporting him.
“Leaving Venezuela wasn’t planned. [Maria] was threatened with death, she was pregnant, and the few things we had, we had to leave them,” Juan said. “We left for Colombia because it was the only country that was giving us security.
Eventually, political tides changed in Columbia making it unsafe for Juan, Maria, and their three children. They made the hard decision to travel to the United States.
“We did not want to leave Columbia. We were happy there,” Maria said. “But it wasn’t safe. We had no choice.”
The two saved money for six months to prepare for the trip. They were afraid they would die during the journey. It seemed impossible for a disabled man in a wheelchair, his wife, and their three young children to cross the dangerous Darién Gap. They explored every other option but felt that their only path forward was the arduous journey. Juan enlisted the help of a sergeant, who served with him in the military. The sergeant carried Juan for miles across the wildest jungle terrain. Maria shepherded the children.
“At one point, I almost drowned with our youngest daughter while crossing a river,” Maria said. “But Juan’s sergeant saved us. We wouldn’t have made it without him.”
Every leg of the journey included paying gangs to pass often lawless terrain. After months of danger, hunger, and exhaustion, the couple reached the U.S., determined to build a safer, more stable life for their children. Though their future remains uncertain as they await work permits, their love and commitment to one another remain unshaken.
“For us, love means sacrifice and teamwork,” Juan said. “We’ve faced every hardship together, and we’ll keep fighting for our family’s future.”
When the family reached Denver, the city offered them a one-month stay at a hotel near the airport. They feared they would end up homeless once the voucher ended, and Maria immediately tried to find any income she could. They saved just enough to afford a small one-bedroom apartment but have been near eviction multiple times. They are now navigating the challenges of starting over, seeking asylum, and adapting to a new culture.
“We want our daughters to have opportunities we never had. That’s why we’ve endured so much because we love each other and believe in a better tomorrow,” Maria said.
Juan said his love for Maria has never wavered, and the two have been committed to each other and their daughters through it all.
“I wouldn’t want my daughters to go through the same thing because I went through a lot of need and hunger when I was a child,” Juan said. “That’s why I try to make my relationship work, and when I feel like something is failing, we talk about it together as a couple.”
But the two see the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and fear once again for their future and safety. Juan said he believes that the immigrant community shares many values with
Americans and should be a welcome addition to this country’s melting pot. He and Maria are driven by their faith, family, and hard work. The couple also urged Americans to consider the struggles of migrants.
“We are not here to harm anyone,” Juan said. “We want to work hard, contribute, and build a better future — not just for our children, but for this country, as well.”
No matter what their future holds, Juan and Maria are certain they will go through everything together.