Migration from the Levant to the Americas was economic in nature, as the flow of migrants from Levantine Christian and Druze minorities increased during the latter part of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. Large numbers of Druze migrants arrived in Venezuela, first from Mount Lebanon, and when this wave settled, it was followed by other waves, especially from Jabal al-Druze, as well as parts of historical Palestine. The policies of Syrian President Adib Shishakli between 1949 and 1954, which were anti-Druze and anti-bourgeois, led to an increase in Druze migration to Venezuela, where the Druze made up one-third of the total immigrants from Syria at that time. The early migrants tended to integrate well with the local population, and most of them maintained their strong identity through their Arab identity and Druze values.
Many Druze monotheists achieved success in Venezuela, and a number of ministers emerged from among them, including Tareck El Aissami, who serves as the Vice President of Venezuela, whose grandfather emigrated from As-Suwayda to Venezuela. Today, the number of Druze citizens in Venezuela is estimated to be between 60,000 and about 200,000, and the Druze community in Venezuela is considered the largest Druze community in the diaspora. The city of As-Suwayda, which has a Druze majority in Syria, is referred to by some as "Little Venezuela" due to the influx of Syrian-Venezuelan migrants into the city. According to estimates by the Venezuelan Embassy in Damascus, approximately 60% of the residents of As-Suwayda were born in Venezuelan territory and hold dual citizenship.
Photo of Tareck El Aissami, Vice President of Venezuela, with his wife from the Druze monotheists
