On a humanitarian level, the Government of Guyana says it will not turn back Venezuelans who come to seek help, but the country’s laws must be obeyed.
Recently the Court ordered that 14 Venezuelans found guilty of illegal entry be deported and fined. The group of men and women sought to claim before the Court that they had entered Guyana in search of food and water due to the economic crisis in their homeland.
The Minister of State explained that whilst Guyana was internationally obligated to assist persons on humanitarian grounds, the law must be complied with. “We, of course, have a responsibility to ensure the integrity of our borders, and the immigration procedures will be applied to all.”
He emphasised that “Government will not tell the courts how to act. The fact that the persons were actually brought to the court meant that there would have been some offence that would have been committed.” The Minister, an experienced Attorney-at-Law, added that many persons, who realise that they are being brought before the Courts, cite all sorts of excuses for their actions.
The government has increased its monitoring of the border between Guyana and Venezuela following political unrest and economic problems affecting Venezuela’s population.
Tthe Spanish speaking country is currently undergoing an economic crisis, plagued by food and other commodity shortages, leading to long supermarket queues and reports of several families going hungry.
The Venezuelan economy is projected to shrink 10 percent this year, according to a recent International Monetary Fund report, and consumer prices are on pace for a 700 per cent increase.
