Venezuelan migrants returning to their country via a free of charge government program, Plan Vuelta a la Patria. Photo: Twitter/@yvangil.
This Friday, January 13, 251 Venezuelans arrived at the Simón Bolívar de Maiquetía International Airport in La Guaira, on a flight from Peru via the state airline Conviasa, thanks to the Vuelta a la Patria program that brings vulnerable migrants back to their homeland, free of charge.
Accordingly, the Foreign Affairs Vice-minister for Latin America and the Caribbean Rander Peña, who received the returnees at the airport, stressed that President Nicolás Maduro, in his annual message to the nation before the National Assembly (AN), spoke of six lines of work for the current year. In the second line, about the expansion of social protection, the plan Vuelta a la Patria was included, since it is part of the protection provided by the Bolivarian Revolution, as a public policy for each citizen inside or outside the country.
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“We are responding to the will of Venezuelans who have expressed, through different means, the desire to return to their homeland and put all their potential to build the country we want,” informed the diplomat in a message posted on his social media accounts.
Likewise, Foreign Minister Yván Gil, through his social media accounts, welcomed his fellow Venezuelans, writing: “Venezuela welcomes you with open arms!”
HOY// Recibimos en nombre del Pdte. @NicolasMaduro a 257 venezolanos (as) provenientes del Perú, que retornan a través del #PlanVueltaALaPatria. A cada compatriota que llega al país les decimos: ¡Han tomado la mejor decisión, reencontrarse con su país y familia!. 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/cnD5PBhz8q
— Rander Peña Ramírez (@RanderPena) January 13, 2023
According to a press release from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the returnees coincided on the optimism and hope that motivated them to make the decision to return to their country and start over.
For his part, Nelser Cumache, a 26 year old native of Anzoátegui state who had been trying his luck in Peru for four years, confessed that he endured labor exploitation, humiliation and low wages.
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Cumache reported: “I had to sell coffee to be able to survive. In my country I feel better, I have the support of the brothers of the church, I have my family, my house and I thank god, first of all, and President Nicolás Maduro for activating this humanitarian flight. It was the first time I traveled by plane, god bless him!”.
All the while Ever Verdi, 52, a native of Mérida who had been living in Lima for almost four years, pointed out that he returned to Venezuela since he could not find a job in the Inca nation due to his age.
Damos la bienvenida a los 251 connacionales procedentes de Perú, quienes retornan a través del Plan Vuelta a la Patria, para reencontrarse con sus familiares y emprender nuevos sueños de vida en este suelo sagrado.
iVenezuela los recibe con brazos abiertos! pic.twitter.com/ytr4xaLRlM— Yvan Gil (@yvangil) January 13, 2023
“I’m coming back because I feel tired and I want to go back to get better opportunities in my country. That is why the plan Vuelta a la Patria seemed like a good idea to me,” said the Venezuelan.
At the Simón Bolívar Airport, the returnees received the sanitary protocol defined by the health authorities to rule out positive cases of COVID-19.
To date, there has been 9,761 nationals repatriated from Peru through this program. With this new journey, Vuelta a la Patria has had 30,979 beneficiaries coming from 25 countries, since its creation by President Maduro in August 2018. 176 flights and one maritime transfer have been carried out.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD
