MORE VENE REFUGEES COMING IN

MORE Venezuelan refugees have begun arriving in Trinidad and Tobago amid the election crisis in that strife-torn land.

This has been confirmed by residents near to open borders from Erin to Cedros on the south-western peninsula.

There is corroboration from reputable international news agencies, which are reporting on a new wave of refugees in light of the latest humanitarian emergency.

Residents said pirogues are bringing in families, especially at nights and they are often met by relatives and friends.

“Things had gone slow for a while,” a retired professional who lives in the community said, “but now boats are coming in regularly.”

Another resident stated: “The people involved in the trade do not appear to have any fear of the authorities.

“It’s not like how it was five years ago, but it is more common than over the last couple of years.”

He confirmed that children are among the refugees.

Some boats transport contraband items to trade with local residents.

Despite years of reports by residents and international agencies, such as the United States Department of State, Trinidad’s south-western remains porous and open to illegal migration and a thriving bootlegging trade.

There is great concern that criminals are among the refugees.

It was previously revealed that Tren de Aragua, the largest criminal organisation in Venezuela, has a presence in T&T.

AP news agency reported that the notorious gangsters have entered Chile, where they have “transformed crime in the country and made security a top concern for Chileans.”

Peru, Brazil and Chile have increased border security.

Thermal cameras and other surveillance equipment are being used to track illegal migrants and prevent them from entering those nearby countries.

Authorities there are also demanding to see a passport and a clean criminal record.

But T&T has not taken any preventative action, and there remains only nominal police and virtually no Coast Guard presence.

That makes T&T a friendlier landing point, the international media is reporting.

Professionals like accountants, engineers and doctors are among those fleeing, one report said.

The “new migration surge” is seeing refugees “sneaking across porous borders,” Washington Post newspaper said.

Some refugees are seeking to enter North America through the dreaded Darien jungle, but most are opting for nearer and safer destinations.

Miami Herald newspaper reported that tens of thousands are risking their lives to enter T&T and other countries, as they try to escape the repression of President Nicolas Maduro’s administration.

Officials of nearby South American countries have been quoted as saying that the migratory flow will increase dramatically unless there is a resolution to the post-election crisis.

There are widespread street protests to Maduro’s insistence on staying in power.

Independent audits show that he lost the July 28 poll.

The embattled president has used the military to crack down and arrest thousands of protestors.

Before the current crisis, the United Nations refugee agency said some eight million Venezuelans had fled their homeland in the biggest humanitarian disaster in the Americas.

The refugees in T&T have put pressure on the country’s education, housing, health, transportation and social welfare systems.

Hundreds publicly beg for alms, with their hungry children at their side.

A few have been murdered or arrested and charged in connection with crimes.