Govt. “registering” fleeing Venezuelans ─ “we are very humane in our treatment of people arriving here in difficult circumstances”

Govt. “registering” fleeing Venezuelans ─ “we are very humane in our treatment of people arriving here in difficult circumstances” – Min. Felix

Jul 28, 2018 News

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix being greeted by residents in Mabaruma on Thursday.

As the crisis in neighbouring Venezuela continues, hundreds of migrants are crossing the borders into Guyana’s territory seeking relief from the economic hardship.
Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, during a visit to Mabaruma, Region One yesterday, stated that “it is not Government’s intent to send back Venezuelans,” noting that, “we are very humane in our treatment of people arriving here in difficult circumstances.”
According to the Minister, Venezuelans who have entered Guyana through legal ports of entry or by other illegal means will be registered so that Government can compile a record.
During the registration process, migrants will have to provide basic information such as their names, date of birth and the names of the persons who will be accommodating them.
This information will be used to keep track of migrants in the event that they relocate to another part of the country.
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Ministry of Public Health have been engaged in the registration process to ensure that the necessary health checks and medication are administered to the migrants.

A makeshift shelter for Venezuelan migrants at Khan’s Hill

The Minister of Citizenship disclosed that while migrants are being accommodated by persons in the village, “the government would like to take it a stage further than that,” noting that they need to be “placed in conditions where they can enjoy a reasonable state of comfort.”
As such, it was announced that the team is “seeking to find a way that government can control the influx of Venezuelans and we can settle them in a given area.”
Minister Felix explained that Government would have a better control of the situation if the Venezuelan migrants are all placed in a designated area as opposed to scattered across the nation being accommodated by hospitable residents.
“It cannot make for orderliness in dealing with the displacement of persons who seek refuge in our country.”

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