These days, people protesting the government aren’t in fear of just getting arrested—they could also lose their lives as masked agents brandishing weapons use extreme force.
But this isn’t just about federal immigration agents in the United States responsible for the killings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti. This is also a description of colectivos, a paramilitary force operating under the unofficial support of the Venezuelan government.
A person holds up their hands as agents deploy a thick screen of teargas in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
And now Venezuelans who have made it to the United States are being faced with an unfortunately familiar story.
Historically, colectivos were established under the socialist structure of then-President Hugo Chávez.
“The idea was to organize people and inform them of what the government was doing,” Margarita López Maya, a Venezuelan historian at El Rosario University in Colombia, told The World.
But nowadays, colectivos operate much differently. The paper trail of their violence against those protesting the United Socialist Party, which governs Venezuela, is extensive. In 2024, Human Rights Watch confirmed 24 killings amid protests.
For many Venezuelans who have spoken out against their government, fleeing the country—or continent—to save their own lives felt like their only option. But reaching the United States hasn’t quite brought them respite from facing a masked, armed militia.
Daily Kos spoke with two Venezuelans under political asylum in the United States, both of whom were granted anonymity to discuss the situation without fear of losing their immigration status.
Armed and masked federal immigration agents stand outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building during a protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 17.
One source, who said he was violently targeted by colectivos in the past, told Daily Kos that watching the videos leading up to Pretti’s killing brought him back to the day that the armed Venezuelan paramilitary force allegedly made an attempt on his life.
For him, the scenario in Minneapolis felt all too similar to what he endured.
“Also, the shift from security or respect for authority to fear of authority because of its abuses is similar—not only for us foreigners, but for Americans as well,” he said in a written message.
The other source told Daily Kos that he believes that the shooting of Pretti is “without a doubt an action that brings [the U.S. government] closer to behavior typical of a Latin American dictatorship.”
But there is one key difference between colectivos and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“ICE agents are official agents of the federal government,” Javier Corrales, an Amherst College professor who specializes in Latin American affairs and who wrote the book “Autocracy Rising” about Venezuela’s transition to authoritarianism, explained to Daily Kos.
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Unlike ICE agents operating under President Donald Trump, colectivos are not official agents of the government, he said.
“Colectivos perform services for the state as armed civilians. They are true paramilitaries—independent in name, even if they are organized and encouraged by the government,” Corrales said.
But the two do share some distinct similarities.
“The greatest similarity is that their mission expanded beyond their starting point, and they seem to enjoy enormous protection from the state and even encouragement to act,” he added.
Masked members of a Venezuelan colectivo are seen in 2020.
Since the killings of Good and Pretti, the Trump administration has supposedly changed its approach multiple times—except for its untouchable support for the agents involved.
Since the start of Trump’s second term, the call for people to join ICE and “protect the homeland” has surged. Meme-ified images of people being violently arrested became a staple on the Department of Homeland Security’s social media pages. And the administration regularly shares white-washed advertisements promising people a safer community if they join ICE.
In other words, the message is “us versus them.” And in this case, the definition of “them” is becoming increasingly blurred.
On one hand, the future of Pretti’s and Good’s cases remains unclear. But on the other hand, Venezuela's past might be able to give us some insight—or warning signs of what’s to come.
