- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 29/Jun 16:34

Immigrants cry out for legal security against crime

Los buenos somos más (There are more of us good people). That's the phrase the Venezuelan immigrant community has used on social media as a warning after two women's bodies were discovered in shallow graves in Bejucal on the night of June 25. The women appeared to be Venezuelans between 15 and 25 years old. They were found dead in a farm field near Line Road Extension, near Warren Road, Bejucal. Upon hearing the news, the Venezuelan community in TT began sharing the information as a warning. Comments flooded social media. Newsday spoke with several Venezuelans on June 28. Speaking in Spanish and with a tone of concern, Luis Manuel Alarcon said he was fearful about the increase in cases of violence against Venezuelans. "In recent months, there have been many news reports of attacks on Venezuelans, both women and men. It's worrying because in any circumstance, the immigrant will always lose," he said. Alarcon said most attacks and disappearances begin with job offers that turn out to be false. “We migrants are hardworking people who came to this country to work and provide socioeconomic stability for our families, and there are more of us who are good.” Alarcon's comments were echoed by Marlene Rivas, a Venezuelan immigrant who arrived in TT in July 2018, just one month after the registration process for work permits for Venezuelans ended. Since then, she has worked in factories, restaurants, and cleaning homes. Rivas said: “Legal security is very important to counteract crime against immigrants. If an immigrant has legal status here, they can find decent and secure jobs and don't have to accept false job offers that end up being scams for criminal purposes.” Rivas suggested conducting a new census not only of Venezuelans, but of the entire immigrant community in TT so the government can formally determine how many immigrants are currently here, with or without work permits. "It's necessary to have legal support so immigrants can find decent jobs and contribute to this country's growth. As long as we don't have legal opportunities, we will continue to be easy prey for crime." Luisa Caceres, another Venezuelan woman who works in a food factory in Arima, echoed the recommendations for better immigration control and support. Caceres said her 16-year-old daughter completed her virtual high school education. She wants to go to university and study nursing, but because she's an immigrant, she can't. “The point here is that we as parents made the sacrifice to allow our daughter to finish high school virtually through a distance learning program. Now she's at home doing nothing. We just have to wait for her to be able to work someday, and that's where the fear lies. A girl who should be studying at a university is forced to work so as not to stay at home, fearing insecure jobs,” Cáceres said. She believes if immigrant children have the opportunity to study here, they wouldn't have to go out on the streets looking for jobs and could contribute to the development of TT in the future. So far, the TT government hasn't commented on plans for the immigrant community. Meanwhile, thousands of children remain out of school, and many were forced to look for jobs as children, putting them at risk of being targeted by crime and human trafficking. The post Immigrants cry out for legal security against crime appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.