Greater need for migrant centre exists in Region 1 – Chairman

– calls on Govt to conduct comprehensive assessment, documentation
By Samuel Sukhnandan
As the number of Venezuelan migrants coming here continues to grow, Regional Chairman of Region One (Barima-Waini), Brentnol Ashley, thinks a greater need exist in that region for the setting up of a centre to deal with the migration issues facing the country.

His comment comes one week after Government had announced a decision to build a two-storey building in the Regional Administration of Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two) that would serve as a support centre for Venezuelan migrants in that area.
But Ashley told Guyana Times on Thursday that there are many reasons why consideration should be given to building a centre in his region. The first reason he stated is the numbers are growing so fast that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is finding it difficult to assist everyone.
“The problem of these migrants is escalating because they are occupying the market wharf. Some of them have been living on that wharf for some time, which is causing residents as well as visitors to be uncomfortable with the situation,” he explained.
However, the regional chairman said if a centre is built, it would give a better chance for both the RDC and the Central Government to better monitor what these persons are actually doing.
Ashley therefore called on the Administration to put serious thought into their strategies in helping to address this situation. He argued that before some of these migrants travel to Region Two, they would have to pass Region One. A majority, he explained, remain there.
Building a facility in Region Two might be nice, he said, but the question that needs to be asked and answered is: Is the migrantion rate in the Pomeroon Supenaam Region greater than the current crisis facing Region One every single day in the Barima Waini region?
Humanitarian support
Meanwhile, the Department of Citizenship has established a Multi-Agency Stakeholder Committee to manage the Government’s response to the influx of Venezuelan migrants here, and be mandated to ensure humanitarian support is provided to all of those migrants.
A recent statement from the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) has outlined that instead of donating directly to the migrants, all donations should be sent to the Civil Defence Commission (CDC). While Ashley does not have an issue with this, he said representation from the region is imperative, so that the needs of those migrants could be properly met.
The regional chairman told Guyana Times that several communities are not receiving food and other supplies. According to him, while he appreciates the fact that donations are made to Khan Hill, he thinks that too much focus is placed on that one area, instead of others.

Documentation
Government had stated last week that the number of documented Venezuelan migrants in Guyana stands at 3,868. But Ashley thinks that the number is much higher, and is therefore calling for there to be a greater presence of immigration officials to improve documentation.
This newspaper was told that while there are small numbers in the highly populated villages within Region One, other locations have also seen a steady rise in the number of migrants. Last year statistics showed pockets of 40-100, with White Water having probably the largest number.
Aside from this issue, the regional chairman has received several unconfirmed reports that some of these migrants are crossing the border with guns and ammunition, as well as drugs. He said while the Police have been carrying out frequent routine patrols, it is still believed that there is no proper monitoring system in place, which could be a recipe for disaster.
“The concerns of several residents meeting me also are related to health, because since the screening process would have started last year with the Public Health Ministry, it would have stopped… Right now, White Water is only being manned by a community health worker, and that is one of the main areas that these migrants are coming,” he further pointed out.
Ashley said while Government is trying to paint a picture that the situation is being handled effectively, he disagrees, given the many issues faced in his region. “We would like, as an RDC, to support any endeavour that the Government is trying to do…to put better systems in place in monitoring and tracking these migrants; but if we don’t have the resources to deal with the issue, we cannot be able to properly address the concerns,” the regional chairman said.