Is the Venezuela refugee crisis a Maduro ruse?

Dear Editor,
A strange and troubling situation is developing in which people fleeing from Venezuela are coming here and claiming to be citizens of Guyana.
The media recently reported that 70 such persons are occupying tents in a mineral-rich area of Guyana, claiming to belong to one family and that the land is their ancestral property. Up to the time of this letter, another 182 are reportedly camping out at the border, eagerly waiting to come across and stake their claim to our land.
Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge was quite right when he said these people must verify their citizenship. People have a right to re-migrate to the country of their birth, but if they left many years ago and do not have valid Guyanese identification documents, they must prove their citizenship. That is how it is done all over the world. What makes Guyana different?
Wouldn’t it be peculiar if none of the 70 people already in Guyana claiming land, and none of the 182 waiting to come over and claim, can prove their citizenship? Not even one? How strange. Something does not smell right here. I am interested in the findings of the team sent to investigate and report on this matter led by Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe.
Has anyone considered that these so-called refugees might be El Sindicato operatives working in cahoots with Maduro to promote Venezuela’s interests? On that note, what is the extent of the influence of El Sindicato here anyway? Is it true that this gang already controls significant areas in Region One (Barima-Waini)? Does this Venezuelan cartel already have a vice-like grip on local miners and residents of remote communities in the Barima-Waini area?
Large groups of fake refugees, or even real ones, can easily create little Spanish-speaking villages in our country. Each one would be a ‘little Venezuela’, so to speak, and that would constitute a monumentally dangerous national security risk. How in God’s name could we even think of allowing Venezuelan refugee camps or ‘little Venezuela’ communities to take root in the very same territory that Venezuela wants to steal from us?
From what I can see, the problem with Venezuela is not going anywhere in a hurry.
I firmly believe that Guyana should try to accommodate Venezuelans who genuinely seek refugee status. But I also advocate careful management of this, bearing in mind that we have an unresolved territorial dispute with Venezuela.

Sincerely,
Roshan Khan Snr