Boat arrivals: Venezuelan migrants detained for processing and released

In a bid to escape hardships, Venezuelans continue to flee the country and groups of them were recently seen in viral videos landing at Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo.

Police Commander of Region Three Mahendra Siwnarine has confirmed that while they were detained briefly, this was just for processing. They were all subsequently released.

The News Room understands that some 45 Venezuelans – 35 women, 8 men and two children – arrived in boats at Vergenoegen landings, East Bank Essequibo on September 28.

Siewnarine told the News Room that upon their arrival here, the Police were dispatched to the location and all of the migrants were processed by immigration authorities.

While they did not possess passports, the News Room understands that the migrants had their national identification cards which was used to process them.

And once the process was completed, Siwnarine told the News Room that the migrants went off with family members resident in Guyana.

The migrants claimed that they have to Guyana in search of jobs so that their families can live a better life.

In June this year, the Office of the Special Envoy for the Regional Response to the Venezuela Situation of the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration estimated that there were 19,000 Venezuelan migrants living in Guyana.