Unease rising over Venezuelan migrants at Linden, some are getting no help

By Khadidja Ba

Some residents of Linden have expressed growing unease over the number of Venezuelan migrants in the town living in squalid conditions and they say no help from Georgetown appears to be forthcoming for them.

Since June and July this year,  residents have reported feeling uncomfortable and unsafe as newcomers establish makeshift camps and compete for limited resources.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, shared her experience when a  group of 20 Venezuelans approached her home. “I am a resident of Guyana, and I am disappointed in the Venezuelan demographic because they are making me uncomfortable,” she stated. “About two months ago, I came home one afternoon, and there were over twenty of them—children, teenagers, and adults—wanting to camp out in my yard. They said they had nothing to eat, and I gave them two packs of chowmein and two cans of tuna.”