He shut the border with Colombia in 2015 and again in 2016, alleging Colombian mobsters were hoarding Venezuelan currency.Critics of Maduro's border closures say they do little to stop illegal trade, but are effective at keeping Venezuelans from leaving the country to buy supplies during shortages. You either make it or you die," he said. "This has been a huge loss," says José Rafael Chirinos, the orchestra's director (no relation to Auri Chirinos).Curaçao remains a popular destination even though people keep dying in trying to get there. Despite the risks, Gleyber Marín, an unemployed 20-year-old from La Vela de Coro, is saving money for the journey. "It was a very somber atmosphere due to the loss of all these young people" she said.For Auri Chirinos, the death of her daughter continues to haunt her. John Otis/NPR
'The main thing is for Venezuela to change and to end the hunger and deteriorated state of its people,' says one Caracas resident They steal our copper and they sell it illegally. Venezuelan boats are moored at a port in Willemstad, Curaçao, in February. They were part of an exodus of Several of his friends have already made the crossing. The orchestra used to have 40 musicians but is down to 22 because so many families have left the country. Many are Authorities are scrutinizing Venezuelans who enter legally and expelling those who overstay their travel permits, according to Refugees International. "Many victims from last year's tragedy, including Jeanauri Jiménez Chirinos, hailed from La Vela de Coro, a sleepy town of parks, beaches and colonial buildings where most people know one another. But at least she still has"When I lost one of my daughters," she says, "that's when I understood why God gave me two more." "These trips are organized by smugglers who offer their services to migrants who are desperate to get to the other shore," Venezuelan opposition legislator Luis Stefanelli He said that more than 100 Venezuelans per week leave the northwest Venezuelan coast bound for Curaçao, each paying about $400 for passage.Driving migration to the islands is the collapsing economy along the coast.Venezuela's port town of La Vela de Coro, for example, has long depended on fruit sales to Curaçao, a tiny island that lacks both farmland and water. Hundreds of vendors from the town used to travel to the island on cargo boats to sell mangoes, papayas and watermelons.But in February, Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with Curaçao over its support for Venezuela's opposition, which is trying to depose authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro.
All this has fueled illegal migration.Clandestine boats that attempt the crossing sometimes encounter storms and massive waves or run out of gas. He said the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao had been running black markets by taking gold, diamonds, copper and food products from Venezuela and selling them illegally.He said organized crime rings were "waging war on our electricity. Every day that goes by, I miss her even more," says a sobbing Chirinos as she clutches photos of a smiling Jiménez.Most Venezuelans looking to emigrate cross land borders into Colombia or Brazil. THE HAGUE - Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao do not suffer from a large influx of refugees from Venezuelans. They could not believe how dangerous it was. More than two million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014, according to UN figures, as an economic crisis intensifies in the oil-rich nation. The United States Treasury has placed sanctions on four current or former Venezuelan officials associated with corruption or repression in Venezuela. Venezuelan President Shuts Down Travel to Aruba, Bonaire, CuracaoUS Sanctions 4 Venezuelan Officials, Citing Corruption For a while, the whole town was in mourning, says Tiffany Tovar, a friend of Jiménez's. "It's so horrible. Venezuelan boats are moored at a port in Willemstad, Curaçao, in February. Venezuelan currently vacationing in Aruba here. But for many Venezuelans in coastal towns, Curaçao, Aruba and the twin-island nation of Refugees International, a nonprofit advocacy organization, But migrating to the islands is getting harder. Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images "The Caribbean islands, known as the "ABC islands" because of their first initials, are a short distance from Venezuela's northern coast. They are a popular landing site for Venezuelans fleeing the country's food shortages.This is not the first time Maduro has closed borders during times when the nation is under duress. A priest prays with supporters of Venezuela's opposition, who hold Venezuelan flags and signs calling for humanitarian aid, at the port in Willemstad, Curaçao, on Feb. This is not the first time Maduro has closed borders during times when the nation is … … Henry Romero/Reuters Venezuelan Auri Chirinos holds photos of her daughter, Jeanauri Jiménez Chirinos, who died trying to get to Curaçao.Jiménez hoped to work as a housekeeper in Curaçao, where she could earn more in one day than she could in one month in Venezuela.
But for many Venezuelans in coastal towns, Curaçao, Aruba and the twin-island nation of … I've yet to see any refugees here. A priest prays with supporters of Venezuela's opposition, who hold Venezuelan flags and signs calling for humanitarian aid, at the port in Willemstad, Curaçao, on Feb. 23. Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images The prime minister indicated that Aruba is also being impacted by the fleeing Venezuelans. She's extremely protective of the toddlers — and for good reason.She recently lost her eldest daughter, who drowned while trying to reach the island of Curaçao.In January 2018, Jeanauri Jiménez Chirinos, 18, squeezed aboard a small boat captained by smugglers and packed with migrants bound for Curaçao, a Dutch island located 40 miles off the Venezuelan coast. Now the maritime border with Curaçao is closed. "This has hit us really hard," says fruit salesman Douglas Amayo, who used to make the trip to Curaçao twice a month. None of its passengers have been found, though a man suspected of being the boat's captain was