Venezuelan protesters at MIA demand to be returned to their home
About 20 Venezuelans gathered at Miami International Airport on Saturday to demand their return to their country, as they have been stranded for about four months by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We came to demand that we be returned. We demand that the closure of Venezuelan airspace scheduled for July 12 not be extended and that repatriation flights and humanitarian flights be opened so we are returned to our country,” said Cristina Mujica, spokeswoman for a group of more than 1,000 Venezuelans who are stranded in the United States.
Mujica entered the U.S. on March 12 with her 11month-old baby and has not been able to return since because Nicolás Maduro regime closed the Venezuelan airspace claiming reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Mujica, the desperation to return to Venezuela is such that the group is willing to pay for repatriation flights with personal funds. Members of the group are even open to the possibility of waiting in a third country until they are allowed to return.
“We are not demanding any free flights; we can pay for the flights and even move to any place indicated by the Venezuelan national government so they can return us through either a public or private airline,” Mujica said.
The spokeswoman said that remaining in the U.S. is practically impossible for many people because they have conditions that make their stay difficult.
“There are different conditions; there are pregnant women, parents, children, elderly people, there are people who are sick with cancer. These are very complicated circumstances that we cannot treat here because we do not live in the U.S.
“We here have no housing, we have no vehicles, we have no funds, we have no legal status because we came here with either a tourist visa or visa waiver to stay here for a limited time. We are not authorized to stay in this territory for an indefinite time,” Mujica said.
The cost of staying in the U.S. for an extended period is very high. Not only does such a long stay have the potential to harm people’s legal status, but it’s also very costly to pay for lodging, food and the visa extension fee during that time.
“We can’t work because we are tourists; we came here on a 20-day budget and have been here for four months already. We have made magic with the little money we have,” said Rafael Ojeda, who has been here since Feb. 27.
Pedro Crespo came with his wife, Marelys Barreto, and his son, Gabriel, to celebrate the boy’s ninth birthday. But what was supposed to be a 12-day vacation suddenly turned into “the world’s worst nightmare,” Crespo said.
“We really have run out of resources. I’m looking for a shelter because I can’t afford the hotel anymore. I can’t pay $450 for the visa extension either. I will sacrifice my legality and not be able to come to the U.S. anymore, but the truth is, I can’t afford it,” Crespo said.
This situation has made many feel abandoned by both Venezuelan and U.S. authorities.
“I feel abandoned by the authorities designated by the interim government of Juan Guaidó. Ambassador Carlos Vecchio makes political propaganda on social networks, but he has not named the more than 1,000 Venezuelans who are stranded here. Please help us, because it feels like we don’t exist for them,” Ojeda said.
For its part, the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington said in a statement that “the solution to this situation is unequivocally through the opening of air space so that commercial airlines operating the route to Venezuela can return the Venezuelans. They have expressed their willingness to do so. Governments around the world have supported the return of their citizens under this scheme. The regime refuses to do anything.”
Mujica said the group of Venezuelans had sent a request in May to the government of Nicolás Maduro asking for the establishment of a charter flight with a permitted airline. But, she said, they have not received any response.
The spokeswoman said that the group is seeking support from both international organizations and the U.S. government.
“We need the support of both the United Nations and the Organization of American States. We would also like the U.S. State Department to push the Venezuelan government to send us a plane,” Mujica said.
Faced with this situation, Venezuelans stranded in different parts of the United States have tried to organize themselves, creating a WhatsApp group, where they have been sharing information since March.
They also have two Instagram profiles, through which any compatriot going through this difficulty can communicate their circumstance.