Tension has been running high between Colombia and Venezuela following the closure of a major border crossing for Colombian migrants and smugglers.

In the Colombian City of Cucuta, residents have begun complaining of long gas lines as Venezuelan security cut off trades - legal and otherwise -between the two countries.

This move, according to BBC, followed an incident last Wednesday when Colombian smugglers injured three Venezuelan soldiers and a civilian.

While this incident may have forced Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to such extreme actions, there has been a lot of tension from both sides of the border for awhile, stemming from scarcity of basic necessities and smuggling activities.

The Venezuelan government estimated that about 40% of subsidized goods are lost due to smuggling activities, leading to scarcity of staples such as corn flour, milk, and other cosmetic items.

The closure of the border also proved to be difficult for residents near the border in more ways than one.

Fox Latino reported that children from both sides of the border usually attend the Simon Bolivar international bridge to attend school, with their families crossing back and forth.

The border now closed, the daily lives of the citizens near the bridge has drastically changed.

A Cucuta resident by the name Sebastian Role said about the situation, "Smuggling is noticeable and the situation is delicate at the border, where there are gangs and a lot of corruption, both among the (Colombian) police and the (Venezuelan) Bolivarian National Guard."

He also said that the closing of the border "has caused more insults, more humiliation, and has increased risks of a confrontation between the two countries."

Fox New also reported that almost 1,000 Colombians have been deported from Venezuela in the last few days, leaving behind their properties and livelihood.

Role said, "It was the wrong decision, this is not like being at my home and closing the door. These are two brother countries and you cannot adopt arbitrary decisions because it is the common citizen, the most poor, who suffer."

For now, the borders are still closed, and President Maduro is said to have declared a state of emergency in five border provinces.

An extra 1,500 troops are being deployed to search for smugglers and paramilitary groups active in the area.

To ease the mounting tension, the foreign ministers of both countries promised to increase cooperation, with planned talks to patch things up.

However, the diplomats left their meeting without announcing a decision on whether or not to re-open the border, or to end the deportations from Venezuela.

What they did agree upon, according to US News, is that the two countries will talk in the coming days to form a joint plan for border security.