Describing Venezuelan immigrants as criminals, terrorists and murderers is “the greatest act of hostility and injustice ever committed by the United States against a people of Latin America and the Caribbean, and perhaps the world.”
These words from the president of Venezuela, spoken after hearing about the deportation of Venezuelan citizens by the USA to El Salvador, where they were imprisoned, have found an echo of solidarity in different parts of the world. In fact, in over 120 countries political parties, social movements, human rights organisations and jurists have spoken out to say that migrating is not a crime.
The demand of the authorities, relatives and inhabitants of Venezuela for the return of 240 compatriots kidnapped by the United States and deported to El Salvador is a central theme in the Latin American country.
Thousands of Venezuelans turned out on the streets of Caracas to accompany relatives of the deported, demand their safe return and reject the national far right whom they blame and hold responsible for these violations of human rights.
The first vice-president of the National Assembly (parliament), Pedro Infante, has said that the national government made a habeas corpus application through a law firm in the Central American country. Infante asserted that the Salvadoran executive has to demonstrate, based on legislation and laws, what crimes these young people committed there since, he says, none of them had ever set foot in the country in their lives. After the Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele disseminated images of the arrival of the aeroplane and the migrants it carried and of the treatment they received before they entered the Terrorism Confinement Centre, the Venezuelan government began a national and international protest campaign.
This outrage can only be compared to “the darkest pages of humanity’s history”, said the Venezuelan executive’s representative to Dialogues for Peace, Jorge Rodríguez.
Rodríguez described his fellow citizens’ kidnappings as “an example of disgrace, arbitrariness and cruelty” and categorised it as a “crime against humanity”. The day he spoke these words he also announced that they would denounce the kidnappings to the UN, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and all the multilateral fora in which Venezuela participates.
It is about repatriating the Venezuelan migrants kidnapped in the Central American nation and who want to return from the United States, a possibility that was confirmed this Saturday with Rodríguez’s announcement of the resumption of flights from the northern country.
Referring to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, invoked in Donald Trump’s executive order, he remarked that it can only be compared to the Nuremberg laws of Nazi Germany and constitutes an “absolutely illegal action” which violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Nicolás Maduro has been categorical in announcing that his government will use all available mechanisms with friendly countries and the United Nations to protect its migrant citizens. Part of the repatriation efforts is the drawing up of documents to distribute to human rights fora so they act to protect Venezuelans.
In addition, law firms have been engaged in the United States and El Salvador to defend the kidnapped Venezuelans.
The government has issued an alert to its citizens over the risks and conditions they could face if they travel to the USA. The Chancellery indicated that in recent months “an increase in arbitrary migration control measures and policies of harassment against Venezuelans” has been observed, including arbitrary arrests, unjustified deportations, confiscation of assets and deportations to third countries. PL
(Translated by Philip Walker – Email: philipwalkertranslation@gmail.com) – Photos: Pixabay
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