THE Government of Guyana has reiterated its commitment to assist Venezuelans who are experiencing tough economic times, but will do so on humanitarian grounds only. This is according to Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who told reporters at a post-cabinet press briefing on Wednesday that Guyana has no issue assisting sister territories in their time of need, but cannot encourage the breaking of the country’s laws.

He was referring to the recent deportation of 14 Venezuelan nationals – nine men and five women – who were charged and fined on Monday for entering Guyana illegally by sea on July 20 at Eteringbang, Cuyuni River.
The nationals did not present themselves to an immigration officer; they pleaded guilty to the charge, but said that they were only trying their luck in search of jobs.
“Guyanese come over into our country and work freely, so we tried the same thing,” 26-year-old Yineurys Lara, a single mother of three, told the court with the aid of a translator.
But the Minister of State was adamant that while Venezuela has fallen on what has been described as the worst economic crisis, the Government of Guyana cannot condone the breaking of its laws.
“We have made it clear that on humanitarian grounds we will not turn back Venezuelans who come to seek help here in Guyana,” Harmon stated.
He noted that though Guyana will provide assistance where needed, “we have the responsibility to ensure the integrity of our borders and that the immigration procedures which are applied to any person who comes to Guyana that we will apply those procedures.”
Minister Harmon said Guyana will readily support persons who travel to come here because of dire situations as is the case in Venezuela. He reminded that Guyana is party to international agreements that require countries to give support to persons who are experiencing major economic difficulties.
“Any persons [sic] who come to Guyana and are deported are persons who have actually violated some part of the laws,” he stated.
Asked whether Government would be inclined to “soften the law” to accommodate Venezuelans who are in search of food, Harmon replied, “The law is the law, the government will not tell the courts how to act; the fact that the persons were brought to the court meant there would have been some offence that would have been committed.”
The Minister of State said oftentimes when persons are placed before the court they “manufacture these defences.”
“We have a very humanitarian approach to this matter; we believe we have a responsibility in this part of the hemisphere to demonstrate that we are[a] warm, welcoming and hospitable country. Once they are faced with those circumstances we won’t come down with a harsh hand on them, all we require is [that] they respect our laws and that they come through the proper port of entry to report their presence in Guyana,” said the Minister of State.
Law must take its course
Meanwhile, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix, during a sub-committee meeting at the Parliament Buildings on Wednesday, said the illegal Venezuelans were dealt with condignly.
“If you are found in breach of the law, then the law must take its course,” he emphasised. Minister Felix was responding to a question posed by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament Nigel Dharamlall, who described the Venezuelans as economic refugees.
However, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, who was also at the parliamentary sub-committee meeting, jumped to Felix’s defence, explaining that the word “refugee” is defined by the United Nations (UN).
According to the UN, a refugee is “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.
“Whether or not you are a UN refugee or you would like to be treated as a refugee when you come into a country, you still have to reach the requirements of the laws of that country. You cannot arrive in Guyana, fail to meet immigration requirements, set up residence someplace and then expect to be treated as a refugee,” Greenidge told the committee headed by PPP’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira.