Migrants have historically played a very important role to the societies in which they settle. Bringing with them skills, knowledge and innovative ideas, they often aid in the growth of their new and old social economies. As the world around us continues to fall into dysfunction due to enmeshed environmental and political disasters, the rates of migrants seeking better pastures has continued to climb. Our ways in dealing with migrants and the systems set up to support them however has remained woefully inadequate.
In Guyana, our attitudes and treatments towards migrants have been tepid at best and discriminatory at worst. On the cusp of major economic change, our country is seen as having greener pastures for settlement. Thousands of Haitians and Venezuelans have been entering Guyana over the years to settle or to use it as a transit point to other countries. Our unpreparedness for the large growth of migrants has been apparent, but it also brought to the fore our still largely undealt issue of racism.
When it comes to Haitians and Venezuelans, there is a distinct way in which the two groups are treated. The former is feared while the latter is fetishized. We only have to take a look at the way the media treats the two groups to draw conclusions of the racial profiling inherent within our society. I’m sure we can all recall the not so long ago reports from the Guyana Times and Kaieteur News that stoked fears of health concerns and national security over the number of Haitians arriving in Guyana. Haitians migrants who were escaping the violent political and economic conditions in their home were reported as being disease ridden and aiming to pad votes. As unfortunate as the reports were, they were not surprising given the general stance of these two dailies when it comes to racial sensitivities.
A look at media reports on Venezuelan migrants however, tells a startling different tale. There seems to be a concerted effort by the media to promote positive and humanizing stories of Venezuelan migrants. This must be commended. Migrants should be able to find space and live comfortably in the country to which they travelled to escape from humanitarian crises. Stories are of course important in shaping the consciousness of a people, particularly when it comes to those who may not look or speak like them. But the question must be asked – are Haitian migrants not worthy of this same representation and curiosity over their thoughts and circumstances that led them here?
It is no secret that Venezuelans are fetishized. Venezuelan women in particular are often sought after and seen as highly desirable. This comes with its own issues of colonial ingrained beauty standards that see’s fair skin, straight hair and shapely figures that has negatively impacted many young girls around the world. This fetishization of Venezuelans however has aided in their generally wide acceptance by Guyanese – although there will of course always be those who are resistant to migrants due to fears such as stolen jobs and a burdened healthcare system. When it comes to Haitians, their presence is much harder to accept because in the eyes of many, Haitians are to be feared. This of course is based on anti-black sentiments that see black persons as mainly criminals who are easily corruptible. The demonization of Haiti by international media has not done it any favours with regards to the way in which the revolutionary state is viewed by its Caribbean counterparts.
The difference in treatment towards the two migrant groups can also be seen in the government’s responses. Since the influx of Venezuelan migrants into Guyana began following their country’s fall from grace, government has been seeking ways to assist them through relevant immigration policies and offering support for settlements etc. Guyana has been doing this with the aid of several international bodies. When we examine these agencies and their agendas, it is easier to understand why Haitian migrants continue to be overlooked, feared and ostracized. Racial biases inherent in international bodies often dictate who receives support and who receives condemnation.
In 2018, Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix stated that persons who are escaping harsh economic and political conditions in their homeland, should not be deported for illegal entry or overstaying. In 2020, many groups of Haitians continue to be turned back from the airport and deported. So, another question must be asked – will the necessary immigration changes that were touted be aimed specifically at Venezuelans, or can any migrant be able to benefit from this? From the looks of it, Haitians will continue to be sidelined, judged and deported.
The humanitarian crises found in Venezuela and Haiti are not vastly different. They both are going through intense political instability that sees them always teetering on the verge of violence. Both their economies have been crippled, promoting widespread criminality. They both suffer from intense food crises that have seen millions starving daily. Clearly, neither of these groups of migrants should be sent back to the disastrous situations in their home country. But in embracing migrants, we must not just embrace the “acceptable,” we must actively challenge the ways in which we prioritize one or the other on the basis of race.
