Venezuelan migrants say “they not going anywhere” despite embassy’s offer to take them home

May 12, 2020 News

Venezuelans living in Guyana have made it clear that they have no intentions of leaving Guyana despite an offer made by the Venezuelan Embassy in Guyana to assist them in returning home. A few weeks ago the Embassy contacted this media house via WhatsApp, revealing its intention to assist Venezuelans affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Venezuelan Migrants receiving hampers from Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix

The Venezuelan embassy in Guyana,

The Embassy stated that a group of Venezuelans had approached its Thomas Street office requesting assistance to return to Venezuela. It claimed that this group of individuals had related that, because of the enforced COVID-19 measures in Guyana, they were left without means of income and wished to return to their homeland.

The statement sent went on to read “As part of our duties with Venezuelan citizens, we have passed on this information to our Government and currently await permission to approach the relevant authorities of Guyana to allow its citizens to return home.”

With this information in hand, Kaieteur News took the initiative to venture out and have chat with the migrant population in Guyana.

The Gonsalves family residing in John Street, Campbellville told Kaieteur News that they would not like to return home at this “point in time”. Kim Gonsalves who spoke on behalf of her family said that instead of running back home they prefer to migrate to another country “if things get worse in Guyana.”

Screen Shot of Statement sent to this Publication

She said that it is indeed true that as a result of the coronavirus restriction measures they have all been sent home from their daily jobs. She is quite grateful that a few of the men “in the house are able to find temporary jobs at least two days per week to support the family with basic food”.

This she says would not have been possible in Venezuela.
“So what’s the sense of returning to country that worse off than Guyana” she added.

Another woman, Ingrid Martinez, who migrated to Guyana two years ago, said she is “not that much excited to return.” The woman told this media house that she and her colleagues have been laid off for more than month now.

“Food supplies are dwindling and we are forced to eat bare rice but we have hope that things will get better”, said Martinez.

She continued that if the lockdown gets extended for a longer period, then she and her colleagues will be left no choice but to return home. It is not their desire to do so, however, since they believe Venezuela is no better. In fact, Martinez said, Guyana is blessed and she has one hundred percent hope that things will get better again.

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