Dear Editor,
It has not gone unnoticed that the Stabroek News editorial of October 6, 2024, titled ‘Linden migrants’ was marked by xenophobic sentiments that manifest in a variety of ways. The framing of Venezuelan migrants as a threat to local safety, economic stability and Guyana’s sovereignty undermines their humanity and reduces them to a stereotype of desperation and criminality.
Crime and safety feature prominently in the editorial which fails to provide a nuanced exploration of the context behind the fears of residents of Linden. Without any evidence, the editorial links statements like “these people are hungry, they are desperate” to concerns about break-ins. Unfortunately, this kind of rhetoric fails to humanize migrants and reduces them, in the eyes of the public, to (potential) criminals – a harmful, dangerous, and unfounded assumption.
Yours respectfully,
Ravin Singh
Editor-in-Chief’s note: The writer of this heavily edited letter has comprehension problems. The migrants were not framed as a threat to local safety. The editorial merely recounted the views of Lindeners. There is not a hint of xenophobia in the editorial. It carefully weighed the concerns of both the citizens of Linden and the Venezuelan migrants.