Hundreds of migrants of Venezuelan origin are stranded in the city of Tijuananorthern border of Mexico, trying to reach the United States but hoping to return to their country.
Venezuelans represent one in four irregular migrants intercepted so far in 2024, a number that has undoubtedly multiplied the exodus by political crisis aggravated by last Sunday’s presidential elections.
One of the Venezuelans in Tijuana identified as Evelin Mora, 29 years old, confessed to EFE that almost a decade ago she was forced to leave Venezuelaafter receiving countless threats and the precarious conditions experienced in the country.
“Since 2014, we began to experience repression, mainly against us, the university students, who were the ones defending the people at that time, and I left because of that, but also because I knew I had no future in my country and I had no other option,” Evelin said.
According to information from the Migration’s national institute (INM), Mexican authorities managed to detect almost 1.4 million “people in an irregular migratory situation” in the first four months of 2024, of which 377,401 were from Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Andreina Silva said at a protest against the Government of Nicolas Madurothat families in Venezuela are in constant fear, because “if they go out, they are exposed to being kidnapped or something being done to them.”
“My mother, sisters and nieces are so sad, even though they want to keep fighting and giving everything to be with us, they are terrified. My mother doesn’t sleep at all, they set up roadblocks near her house and they are so scared that they can’t go out because they don’t know what could happen,” she said.
Silva even encouraged all his fellow countrymen “to continue fighting wherever they can and in a safe manner,” because he no longer wants “to see more dead brothers.”
“I don’t want to see children, young people or adults dead. I know that there is a lot of bloodshed right now and I don’t want to see that. I want to see them celebrating the unity and freedom of Venezuela very soon,” he said.
Likewise, another Venezuelan protester, Neuri Alexander Morán Sulvarán, denounced that “the dictatorial government of Nicolás Maduro is today arresting all Venezuelans,” explaining that “there are more than 677 people who are detained only for peacefully protesting for a right that was exercised, which was the right to vote, and defending the elections that we won.”
“We have people dead, we regret that these drastic measures have been taken, but from here we want to tell our brothers that they are heroes and that we are supporting them all from Tijuana,” added Morán.
It is worth noting that a group of Venezuelan migrants joined the series of demonstrations promoted by the opposition in various countries on Saturday, against Ripe and alleged electoral fraud, with Venezuelan flags and banners stating:
“We want freedom in Venezuela”, “No to electoral fraud” and “Rejection of dictatorship and repression”.
It is worth noting that, the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela, confirmed last Friday that Nicolás Maduro, head of state, was re-elected in the presidential elections last Sunday, with 51.95% of the votes against the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, with 96.87% of the votes counted.
see more
#Venezuelan #migrants #Tijuana #express #HOPE #TERROR #elections
