SOME people in Guyana are trying to make the lives of those persons entering the country a bit more comfortable by providing assistance in any way they possibly can. At this juncture, the question arises: Why lend support to these immigrants?

Now, immigrants specifically from Venezuela have been trickling into Guyana for some time. They have come in search of new lives and livelihoods amidst the austerity faced in their own country.

Recent reports say that there are about 2,588 documented Venezuelan immigrants in Guyana currently, and with Guyana’s expansive and porous borders, it isn’t hard to imagine that there are quite a few more.

According to Euronews, “A million have gone to Colombia, 400,000 to Peru, and 120,000 to Brazil; and there’s no sign of the flow slowing down anytime soon as the country shows no immediate prospect of recovering.” Add Guyana’s set to those figures.

But why the exodus? Some argue in 2010 when Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez declared the “economic war”, the country’s downfall began spiralling out of control but others contend that it was in 2015, when Maduro became the country’s leader that the country really began seeing its worst days. Whatever the case may be, it is a fact that Venezuela is facing extreme socio-economic and political crises, making the country practically “unlivable” for many.

There is friction between Guyana and Venezuela, owed to Venezuela’s revitalised (and well, fallible) attempts of extending its borders onto Guyana’s lands. With the Spanish-speaking country actively pursuing Guyana’s lands and resources, (and the oil!), why should Guyanese even think about helping those poor immigrants?

Call me softie, but the first thing that comes to mind is that if someone is in need, you help them. And I think if thousands of people are fleeing a country, they must have reasonable cause. And for Venezuelans specifically, many of us know the reasonable cause.

I think Derwayne Wills, member for the Migrant Support Network in Guyana, says it best: “When people are walking for hours and days, and they are leaving their entire lives behind and they come to this new space where they are not exactly sure how to live in that space but they just know that they want to live in that space, I think those of us who are originally from that space have an obligation to make sure that as much as we can, we make them comfortable.”

And I mean more than our own humanitarian feelings; the nation has international humanitarian obligations that force us to take care of them.

There is the global compact for migration from the United Nations (UN), which according to the UN is the first, intergovernmental negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Since Guyana adopted this, at the macro-level, Guyana has a responsibility for these migrants coming from Venezuela.

Then there are two more dimensions to consider. The first is that some of these immigrants coming from Venezuela are actually Guyanese who lived in the country for many years and are now returning home because of the crises.

Building on that brings forth the second dimension, which is the fact that Guyanese too have migrated- primarily to the Caribbean, North America and Europe- and courtesy has been extended to them as they strived to build new lives. This courtesy has been extended so much so that after years, Guyana has a vibrant diaspora that actively contributes to the local economy through remittances.

The Golden Rule is: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And I think if Guyana entered into a similar situation as Venezuela (God forbid this ever happens), and Guyanese fled to Venezuela, we would want some courtesy extended to us as we tried to rebuild ourselves. The same courtesy we would have wanted throughout the years of our emigration.

Of course, we can’t just go helping them all out- we need to take care of ourselves as well. And, the legality of the Venezuelans coming into our country and restarting their lives must be questioned too. The government has stressed time and time that it will help the Venezuelans, but things must be done through the correct avenues. I agree with this but the immigrants are here and are in need.

As much as reasonably possible it is our obligation to help those in need. As much as possible, lend your support to these immigrants as they try to recover from the hardships they would’ve faced.