Excerpt from story by CBS42:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala (WIAT) — In Alabama, an organization is educating the public on the crisis in Venezuela and how this could affect the United States.

The Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations is a nonprofit, bipartisan group, that has discussions constantly on timely current events.

The chairperson for BCFR, Kali McNutt, said Venezuela and Latin America has been a big topic for months for them.

Carlos Izcaray lives and works in Birmingham but is from Venezuela. He said he feels lucky to not be stuck in Venezuela but he still thinks about his home country.

“Its an undeniable fact that Venezuela is a repressive dictatorship and has complete disregard for human rights,” said Izcaray.

Izcaray is a conductor for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, but for 14 years, he grew up in Venezuela before his family moved.