Migrants: 'Venezuela is a bad place'

SOME Venezuelans have been trying to get registered for up to three days at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain.

Hundreds of men, women, and children were using clothing and pieces of cardboard on Monday morning to shelter from the sun. Many have no money, food or water.

Some migrants also said they do not have access to the bathroom facilities at the Oval, and cannot use them unless they officially enter the registration venue.

It is the final week of registration for Venezuelan migrants in TT, which is due to end on June 14, with many calling for an extension owing to the number of people yet to be registered.

While most of the adults expressed frustration about the registration, some children say they feel sad about what is happening in their home country.

Ten-year-old Eduardo, who has been in Trinidad since October, says his family shares a house with 16 people, and many of his family members are still in Venezuela. He says he is thankful he is away from the crisis.

His two eight-year-old brothers, however, say they do not enjoy living with so many people, since most of them have to sleep on the floor.

When Eduardo grows up, he wants to help fight for the people of his country.

"I want to be a soldier or a policeman so I can go to the house of Maduro and..." he said, before making gun noises.

Eduardo and his family say the registration has been very slow and some of their relatives have been trying to get in since Saturday.

They visit their Arima home at night to bathe and eat, then return to the Oval to wait. His guardians, who are unemployed, said money is very low – revealing $20 in their pockets – they are hungry and tired and food is minimal.

Eduardo said, "It is sad. When I was in Venezuela, there was no food. Now there's no water, food, electricity, nothing. People have to go someplace else to get water.

"I like Trinidad because there is plenty food."

Registered Venezuelan migrants will be allowed to stay in TT for up to a year, but 36-year-old Yaycrishna said she does not know where she and her family will go after that. Asked if she would return home if the situation in Venezuela were to improve within the next year, her response was still no.

"After one year, two years, Venezuela is still not good, it has plenty problems," she said. "No food, no medicine, the president is not good, I don't know where I will go."

While she has already registered, she is waiting for her daughter, husband, and brother to do so. She has been waiting since 10 pm on Sunday.

She said Trinidadians have been treating her well and that she does not wish to leave.