A Bridge to Venezuela

"They'd descended on Cúcuta from Belgium and France and Mexico and the U.S., in the hope of entering Venezuela by crossing the Simón Bolívar International Bridge, the busiest of three bridges spanning the Táchira River. (At that time, and still, it was nearly impossible for foreign journalists to get a visa to enter the country, and, in any case, there were few flights to Caracas.) But it had soon become clear that there was little chance of their entering Venezuela safely."

"But it had soon become clear that there was little chance of their entering Venezuela safely. On January 5th, the day Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim President, fourteen journalists, thirteen of them working for international media outlets and news agencies, were detained. One was deported. A couple of days later, two journalists, a Colombian and a Mexican, were stopped at Tienditas, another of Cúcuta's border crossings, and held for hours, before being expelled."

"The Simón Bolívar bridge is almost always bustling. Swarms of cars and vans come and go from both sides; idling buses advertise destinations as far-flung as Lima or Santiago or Mendoza. On the Colombian side, buzzing armies of motorcycles with uniformed drivers compete to shuttle you or your merchandise to San Antonio del Táchira, the closest city in Venezuela. It's hot and dusty, blue-gray clouds of exhaust burping from passing trucks."

Cúcuta became a focal point after U.S. Special Operations Forces captured and extracted Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd. International journalists arrived from Europe, Mexico, and the U.S. seeking to cross the Simón Bolívar International Bridge into Venezuela but encountered visa barriers and limited flights. Authorities detained fourteen journalists on January 5th and deported or expelled others at nearby crossings such as Tienditas. The Simón Bolívar bridge operates as a busy transit hub and open-air market, with cars, buses, motorcycle shuttles, currency-exchange offices, and contraband trade amid heat, dust, and heavy exhaust.

Read at The New Yorker