Opposition Member of Parliament, Roysdale Forde, addressed the National Assembly on Monday, emphasizing that even amid the increase in aggressive tactics by Venezuela, the Guyana Government has not taken steps to address the issue of Venezuelan migrants.
While Forde expressed support for the government’s motion to reject Venezuela’s claim over Essequibo, he pointed out that the government is failing to confront the significant challenge posed by Venezuelan migrants.
Recently, there have been numerous reports of a growing number of Venezuelan migrants entering Guyana through the country’s porous borders.
This influx of migrants coincides with a border controversy case between the two neighboring countries that is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Guyana in a recent application to the ICJ, highlighted that on October 23, 2023, the Government of Venezuela announced a “Consultative Referendum” scheduled for December 3, 2023, to gain public support for Venezuela’s withdrawal from the ICJ proceedings and pursue unilateral actions to annex and integrate the disputed territory into Venezuela.
In response to these developments, the Opposition MP stated, “The concerns of the Guyanese people are legitimate.” He shared that during a recent visit to the Haslington area, citizens raised concerns about the unregulated entry of Venezuelan migrants and the lack of a comprehensive immigration and border policy to address this issue.
To this end he said, “There could be no denial that the infrastructure of Guyana cannot support that sort of migration.”
Forde said tough himself and his party join the PPP-administration to stand and defend Guyana against Venezuela, he reminded the House of his previous budgetary debates when he highlighted the need for comprehensive citizenship and immigration border policies. He criticized the government for not introducing legislation to govern immigration and access to the country, stating, “Even in stage that we are in the face of this crisis. This government has failed to bring before us legislation to govern immigration and access in this country.”
He further expressed his rejection of the government’s laissez-faire approach to immigration, adding, “that anybody could simply cross into our country, and somehow we have to accept.”
He went onto highlight that it is known that Guyana is not a signatory to any convention on migration. “Trinidad and Tobago is not a signatory to any (migration) convention and they’re sending back home the Venezuelans. I believe that this matter needs to be addressed. The brushing of it off the table onto the carpet, vacuum it out is not sufficient. It does not address the concerns of the Guyanese people on a very important issue,” Forde highlighted.
Forde concluded by stressing the importance of a unified stance in the National Assembly on the Venezuela-Guyana border controversy and urged accountability from elected leaders for a peaceful and lawful resolution of the dispute.
“Guyana deserves a peaceful and lawful resolution of this controversy…The people of Guyana must hold their elected leaders accountable to this,” Forde added.
