…robust vetting of persons claiming to be family members

A primary school is being built for Venezuelan migrants and government will conduct robust vetting of persons who are claiming to be relatives to avoid them being exploited.
Since the arrival of 140 documented Venezuelan migrants to Georgetown last Wednesday, 70 have been released in the care of relatives or acquaintances while arrangements are being made to find housing for 45 more.

This assistance is being undertaken by the Department of Citizenship in collaboration with its international partners and other government agencies. Last week the Ministry of Citizenship revealed that the group of migrants arrived in Georgetown at 05:00hrs on the MV Barima, which departed from Kumaka in the Barima-Waini (Region One).

They were all taken to the Guyana Police Force’s Headquarters, documented and immunised. Apart from the 70 released, others had remained at the Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, where they were being provided with meals, medical attention and other services.

In a release from the Ministry on Monday, it said that the 45 now to be housed include 34 males and 11 females who have no family connections on the coast. In addition, housing arrangements are still being worked out for 26 persons squatting along the Non Pareil foreshore.
“In an effort to protect the migrants from possible exploitation, the Immigration Department has established a protocol to vet persons claiming to be family members,” the release stated.

“At [Monday’s] meeting of the National Multi-Sectoral Coordinating Committee, Minister of Citizenship, Mr. Winston Felix informed that a special committee is being set up to explore the option of transforming the Papaya Centre, located in the Barima-Waini Region One, into a facility for migrants; noting that ‘the greater the inflow of migrants, the more pressed we will be to find space’.”

Migrants have been trickling through Guyana’s western borders from Venezuela as the neighbouring country experiences significant socio-economic and political crises which have been ongoing for years. The Ministry stated that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will soon be seeking permission from relevant authorities to renovate an abandoned hostel at Kumaka in Region One to house migrants, where the inflow is greater.

The release added: “The Committee was also informed that a primary school is being constructed at Eteringbang, which will accommodate about 60 migrant children. As a result of the influx of Venezuelans, the regional health and education systems have been spread very thinly to cater to the needs of migrants.”

It was noted that there has been an additional 50 students at Paruima in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven). “Taking into account the vast increases in the school system, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is working with the Ministry of Education to roll out a project that will see Guyanese teachers being trained to teach English as a second language to Spanish-speaking students,” the document outlined.

Meanwhile, technology is also being utilised to better manage the influx of migrants. The IOM’s soon-to-be-launched mobile application, ‘MIGAP’, is set to make all pertinent information regarding migrant support in Guyana more accessible. In keeping with the current estimates, the release highlighted that a total of 5,863 documented Venezuelan migrants now reside in the country.