(Trinidad Guardian) Gasparillo resident Verne and his Venezuelan partner Jennifer will likely be heading for the altar since he said Jennifer was among the 400 who didn’t succeed in being registered last Friday.
“It might be the only thing we can do since she’s not well and even though she tried for registration she didn’t make it and in any case, that’s only for a year,” he told Guardian Media yesterday after spending a long Friday—up to 9 pm—with her at the South registration centre.
Verne said Jennifer, 35, came to T&T legally last September from Tucupita. She registered with the United Nations as a refugee seeking asylum, but couldn’t work. She decided to apply for the amnesty—facilitating employment—when this was offered. “But last Friday at the South centre, about 400 of them didn’t get through since they had no forms. She was among them. Plenty people cried Friday when they shut the centre and people told us the registration was over.
“She didn’t go back since she has kidney issues and had an operation at the San Fernando General Hospital to remove kidney stones.”
He said Jennifer has children in Tucupita and they both send things back to her hometown for the children. “But she felt if she could work legally she would have been able to send more things back to them. As it is now, since we’re already a common-law man and wife, we ll probably make it legal and she won’t have to go through any more hassle with lining up, wondering if she’ll have a job after a year or seeking refugee asylum.”
Farming, PriceSmart shopping in Central
Chaguanas Chamber president Vishnu Charran and members confirm an approximate 25 per cent increase in visibility of Venezuelans in the area since registration began and expect more.
Charran said, “They’re feeling safer now and people are job-seeking, families out shopping. They’re mainly seeking construction and agriculture jobs and people are employing them from Couva to Carapichaima.
“One Couva businessman in a pepper/potato farm employed 15. Unskilled Venezuelan women have been seeking housekeeping jobs. Some locals are offering jobs out of compassion as well as due to lack of steady local labour for agriculture and construction sectors.
“Certainly others are worried about safety—and are cautious—after seeing reports of Venezuelans and crime and one killing a woman. One person from a particular Central village told me they’re seeing so many of them in their village, they’re worried.”
Chamber member Billy Ali said, “There’s mixed sentiment. Some Central business people and residents are concerned about the Venes and crime. But their presence has indeed increased the labour pool, some businessmen wish more of them can speak English.
“They’re already contributing economically since we’re seeing them shopping in PriceSmart, Busy Corner, and SuperPharm. They call local PH taxi when they need transport and some have opened small food businesses in Endeavour, Longdenville, and Chaguanas.”
Palo Seco 93 working, some still in the bush
At least 28 out of the 93 Venezuelans who were found in the Palo Seco forest a month ago are now registered and working, but there is still a group who are living off the grid in forested areas of the community.
Residents of the area said last Wednesday that those people have not sought to register, but are more focused on working where they can find employment and “buying up bags of rice and flour” to send back to relatives in Venezuela.
Members of a United Nations contingent which visited some other Venezuelans in the area today, were expected to meet with the group in the forest.
However, some of those found in the forest last month, who had been staying at the Irwin Park facility, sought registration and were approved. Kim Quashie, assistant to Siparia corporation chairman Glen Ramadhar confirmed this.
She said a female Cunupia farmer employed three and four are engaged in construction work, both with room/board plus salary. One female got a security post with a $6,025 monthly salary.
Three former Venezuelan soldiers also got security jobs, with one working at Pennywise in La Romain. A former college professor is hoping to teach at any private school, but in the interim, he is working on a farm, Quashie said.
Another got a job as a mechanic in Palo Seco. Quashie said others got construction work and are being paid between $200-$250 a day. One man who is a baker got a job in Marabella. “Several are going for Subway interviews in Penal and we also have forms for them for KFC,” she added.