Venezuelan migrants returning back home thanks to the Vuelta a la Patria program. File photo.
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced this Wednesday, February 2, that a new phase of the Vuelta a la Patria program will start in March, to guarantee the safe return of Venezuelan nationals residing in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
During a meeting at the Miraflores Palace, the president stated that starting from March the number of flights of the Plan Vuelta a la Patria will be tripled, and called on Venezuelans who are outside the country to return.
President Maduro explained that initially the program will serve Venezuelans who are already registered to return to the country, “to live and work in their own land, free from xenophobia.”
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“Doors are open for you to return and live in peace, free from discrimination, with your families, in your land,” he declared. “We are going to triple the number of flights of the Vuelta a la Patria program.”
He also ratified the commitment of the Venezuelan government to support fellow Venezuelans living abroad. He added that in Venezuela there has never been xenophobia, hatred or mistreatment of migrants. Instead, migrants from other countries have always been welcomed in Venezuela.
The president reminded that, at present there are a number of migrant communities from various nations in Venezuela, including Spaniards (500,000), Ecuadorians (600,000), Peruvians (500,000), Italians (300,000), Arabs (one million), in addition 6 million Colombians. They all live in Venezuela without suffering systemic xenophobia.
“There has never been mistreatment, xenophobia against anyone. Everybody is welcome,” he stressed.
#EnVideo📹| Presidente @NicolasMaduro manifestó su preocupación con relación a que muchos venezolanos están siendo perjudicados por la xenofobia en el exterior.#ChávezPorSiempre pic.twitter.com/0m3iinz6n7
— VTV CANAL 8 (@VTVcanal8) February 3, 2022
On the other hand, the president repudiated the recent attack on a group of Venezuelan migrants in Iquique, Chile, where a mob of local residents destroyed a migrant camp for a second time.
He condemned the discrimination and xenophobia that has been sown against Venezuela, which was evident in the attack on the migrants last Sunday in the Chilean city of Iquique.
Venezuelans and migrants from other countries who were in that camp were terrified as a group of Chilean protesters approached the camp and vandalized it, destroying the tents and the meagre belongings of the migrants, while shouting, “Go away criminals!”
“A lot of discrimination, a lot of xenophobia has been sown against Venezuela, and they attacked the migrants,” the president denounced. “They attack with hatred, with xenophobia, with racism.”
Featured image: Venezuelan migrants returning home through the Vuelta a la Patria program. File photo.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
