Amid Venezuela chaos, U.S. immigrants worry
Shortages of food and medicine, one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the world, and an inflation rate of more than 1,000 percent in a year define a country that also has one of the world’s largest oil reserves. The situation seems to be getting only worse for Venezuela.
From the outside, hope theoretically can be found on Sunday. President Nicolás Maduro called for an election to choose a 545-member National Constituent Assembly to rewrite the 1999 constitution previously promulgated by his predecessor, Hugo Chavez. However, from the inside, upon further scrutiny, the likelihood the elected officials will move away from Maduro’s vision is slim. The goal in holding this election is to further Maduro’s reach of power, which, at this point, would lead to more problems for the Venezuelan economy.
This crisis is affecting Venezuelans in the United States. As of 2015, the United Nations estimates more than 197,000 Venezuelans live in the United States. In 2016, Venezuelans topped the list of U.S. asylum seekers. Venezuelans usually come to the U.S. on visas trying to forge better lives for themselves and their families. They are not eligible for Temporary Protected Status under the law. This status applies only under very specific parameters, such as civil war, epidemic levels of disease and natural disaster. Venezuelans could argue rioting is just as disruptive as war, and the slow starvation of a population is just as horrifying as an epidemic.
How did this South American country end up in what seems to be an unstoppable mess?
Part of the problems date back to Chavez’s economic decisions in 1999. Chavez demanded control of the oil revenues and used these revenues for national spending and redistribution efforts in an attempt to help the poor. The government appropriated farmland in these redistribution efforts, resulting in decreased domestic production. When oil prices fell, Venezuela borrowed heavily and printed money to pay for its increased reliance on imports, which caused massive inflation. At the same time, a policy of price controls limited imports, creating a shortage of basic necessities such as food and supplies.
The government must still keep its supporters happy, so it continues to spend, providing rations to the poor who in return continue to vote for the government. What started as a political system of socialism devolved quickly into an economic policy of communism, leading to rampant government corruption.
As inflation skyrocketed, wages stagnated, pushing people to the very limit of their budgets. One hundred bolivars is worth about 10 cents, so the cost of a can of peas or a jug of milk, if you can find one, might be 2,000 or 3,000 bolivars.
One-quarter of the population does not even make a measly $23 U.S. (22,500 bolivars) per month, which is considered minimum wage. Many families can barely afford food and rely on government support. As the government faces shortages, families become malnourished, compromising their immune systems and leading to other health problems such as diphtheria. Frenzied from the horror of their situation, many have taken to looting and rioting.
As an immigration attorney, I traveled to Venezuela to see firsthand what my clients are facing. As I drove through the streets of Caracas, I saw a dead body on the street. And my host was robbed of his wedding band at gunpoint. Upon my return to the states, I now receive daily emails of graphic pictures depicting the violence occurring against anyone opposed to the government. In one instance, I received a picture of a bucket containing the severed hands of members of the opposition.
Americans should be aware of the issues facing not only residents of Venezuela, but immigrants living here in the United States. My clients worry about their status because of all the anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from the president.
The Bush, Obama and Trump administrations have all feared the appearance of intruding into Latin American politics in Venezuela. This means the Venezuelan people are left alone to determine their future. Instead of shaping events in our own backyard and advocating for the concept of human rights, the U.S. instead concentrates on travel bans and wall-building.
People come to the United States because we are the land of the free and the land of hope. Throughout this country’s history, many politicians tried to keep certain groups of people from coming in, but the diversifying force of America always prevailed.
We are, and always will be, a country of immigrants. We will continuously fight for justice and progress. No single president can change that.