Venezuelan diaspora

World map showing countries with the largest Venezuelan populations

Location|

of diaspora:

* Colombia 1,700,000[1][2]
* Peru 859,659[3]
* Brazil 510,000[4][5]
* United States 259,000-500,000[6]
* Ecuador 300,000[7]
* Spain 300,000[8]
* Chile 288,000[9]
* Argentina 130,000[9]
* Trinidad and Tobago 130,000[10]
* Mexico 95,000[11]
* Dominican Republic 90,000[12]
* Panama 80,000[11]
* Italy 12,033[13]
* Canada 34,000[14]
* France 30,000[10]
* Costa Rica 25,000[15]
* Germany 20,000[10]
* Paraguay 20,000[16]
* Curaçao 16,000[17]
* United Kingdom 15,000[18]
* Cuba 15,000[10]
* Vietnam 12,010[19]
* Lebanon 12,000[20]
* Uruguay 12,000[21]
* Australia 10,000[10]
* Haiti 5,198[22]
* Guyana 5,123[23]
* Guatemala 5,000[24]
* Ireland 5,000[10]
* Bolivia 4,000[25]
* Switzerland 3,989[22]
* Netherlands 3,878[22]
* Aruba 3,399 [22]
* United Arab Emirates 2,500[10]
* New Zealand 2,000[10]
* Sweden 1,837[26]
* Norway 1,607[22]
* Greece 1,026[22]
* Japan 1,000[27]
* Saudi Arabia 1,000[10]
* Austria 915[22]
* Denmark 706[22]
* El Salvador 700[28]
* Belgium 570[22]
* Israel 373[22]
* Botswana 305[22]
* Honduras 200[29]

Cause| Social issues, political repression, crime, economic downturn, corruption, censorship and others.[30][31][32]

The Venezuelan diaspora refers to Venezuelan citizens living outside Venezuela. In times of economic and political crisis since the 2010s, Venezuelans have often fled to other countries in the Americas and beyond to establish a more sustainable life.

## History[edit]

Further information: Antisemitism in Venezuela

### Pre - Columbian period[edit]

The first settlers of the Antilles were a foraging people who arrived some 6,000 or 7,000 years ago set out in canoes from the northeastern coast of actual Venezuela. A second wave of pottery-making farmers starting some 2,500 years ago and island-hopped across the Caribbean. This groups called saladoids, who are related to today's Arawak-speaking peoples came from actual Venezuela,they supplanted the earlier foraging inhabitants—presumably through disease or violence—as they settled new islands. A third wave [33] after 250 CE, called the barrancoid people settled in the Antilles after migrating up the Orinoco River toward the sea.[34][page needed] A fourth wave the Caribs are commonly believed to have migrated from the Orinoco River area in Venezuela to settle in the Caribbean islands about 1200 CE, but an analysis of ancient DNA suggests that the Caribs had a common origin with contemporary groups in the Greater and Lesser Antilles.[35]

### 19th century[edit]

After the fall of the First Republic, in 1812 Simón Bolívar and several republican leaders were forced to left the country to Antilles and to New Granada.

The 1814 Caracas Exodus (Spanish: Éxodo caraqueño de 1814) or Emigration to the East (Spanish: Emigración a Oriente) occurred during the Venezuelan War of Independence, when Venezuelan Patriots and thousands of civilians fled from the capital Caracas towards the East of the country, after the defeat in the Second Battle of La Puerta on 15 June 1814.

News about the approach of José Tomás Boves and his infamous royalist troops caused panic amongst the population in Caracas, so on 7 July 1814, more than 20,000 people emigrated to the East of the country, along with Simon Bolívar and his remaining Patriot troops. Many thousands perished.[36] Although a large number of people followed Bolívar on the long journey, another group, especially the most politically committed, sought refuge in the Antilles or New Granada, while a third group gave up the march and returned to Caracas to place themselves under the protection of Archbishop Coll y Prat. After the fall of the Second Republic, Bolívar fled again to New Granada and later to Jamaica and Haiti. In this country he would meet several exiled republican leaders and obtain significant support from the ruler of southern Haiti, Alexandre Pétion.[37]

After the battle of Carabobo, Bolívar passed a law of expulsion of the Spanish on September 18, 1821. All Spaniards of peninsular or insular origin who did not prove that they had been part of the independent movement would be forcibly removed from the country. In Puerto Cabello, about 2,000 Spanish civilians took refuge in the fortress of San Felipe whose garrison resisted the siege until 1823. That place was the last refuge of a territory that had been Hispanic since the time of Christopher Columbus. The capitulation of the fortress ended with only 400 surviving soldiers. The main destination for these expelled were the Spanish Caribbean islands, especially Cuba and Puerto Rico, where 3,555 refugees arrived.

In 1827, a group of Jews moved from Curaçao and settled in Coro, Venezuela.[38] In 1855, rioting in the area forced the entire Jewish population, 168 individuals, back to Curaçao.[38] Assimilation of Jews in Venezuela was difficult, though small communities could be found in Puerto Cabello, Caracas, Villa de Cura, Carupano, Rio Chico, Maracaibo, and Barquisimeto.[38]

### 20th century[edit]

In response to rising political tension between the Netherlands and Venezuela, in March 1902, compelled the Jews of Coro again to seek an asylum in Curaçao, tendered to them by the governor of the island, Jhr. J. O. de Jong van Beek en Doorn, who, upon learning the facts, dispatched the Dutch warship HNLMS Koningin Regentes to protect them. It returned to Curaçao with eighty Jewish women and children on board. In July following, the same vessel and the HNLMS Utrecht were sent to La Vela de Coro for the remainder, and only a few Jewish residents remained behind to protect the property of the exiles.[36]

In 1908, accusing the opposition to regime of president Cipriano Castro, the Venezuelan government massively expelled Corsican producers and traders established in and around Carúpano.[citation needed]

During World War II, the Venezuelan government broke relations with the Axis powers in 1942, with many groups consisting of hundreds of German-Venezuelans leaving Venezuela to be repatriated into Nazi Germany.[39]

In the early 1980s, the Venezuelan government had invested much into the country's infrastructure and communications, though by the mid-1980s when Venezuela faced economic difficulties and inequality increased,[40] some Venezuelans emigrated.[41] Again, at the peak of Venezuela's socioeconomic difficulties in the late 1990s, Venezuelans began to emigrate once more, with some attempting to enter the United States legally and illegally.[42]

### 21st century[edit]

#### Venezuelan refugee crisis[edit]

Main article: Venezuelan refugee crisis

During the Bolivarian Revolution, many Venezuelans have sought residence in other countries. According to Newsweek, the "Bolivarian diaspora is a reversal of fortune on a massive scale" as compared to the 20th century, when "Venezuela was a haven for immigrants fleeing Old World repression and intolerance".[31] El Universal explained how the "Bolivarian diaspora" in Venezuela has been caused by the "deterioration of both the economy and the social fabric, rampant crime, uncertainty and lack of hope for a change in leadership in the near future".[30]

In 1998, the year Hugo Chavez was first elected president, only 14 Venezuelans were granted U.S. asylum. By September 1999, 1,086 Venezuelans were granted asylum according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.[43] It has been calculated that from 1998 to 2013, over 1.5 million Venezuelans (between 4% and 6% of the Venezuela's total population) left the country following the Bolivarian Revolution.[44] Former Venezuelan residents have been driven by lack of freedom, high levels of insecurity, and inadequate opportunities in the country.[44][45] It has also been reported that some parents in Venezuela encourage their children to leave the country because of the insecurities Venezuelans face.[45][46] This has led to significant human capital flight in Venezuela.[30][44][47]

Host communities and countries in the region are committed to helping Venezuelans and have been generously welcoming them. In 2018, the Brazilian Army launched Operation Welcome to help Venezuelan immigrants arriving in the state of Roraima, which borders Venezuela.[48][49]

Despite some spontaneous returns of Venezuelans during the COVID-19 pandemic, the outflow of Venezuelan refugees and migrants to neighbouring countries and beyond persists. The number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela has surpassed 8.5 million globally, according to data from governments. A significant number of them are in need of international protection and humanitarian assistance.

Many countries in the region are increasingly overstretched and had implemented large-scale regularization processes to ensure refugees and migrants are documented and have access to rights and services. However, these efforts and gestures of solidarity require financial support. Most refugees and migrants from Venezuela arriving in neighbouring countries are families with children, pregnant women, elderly people, and people with disabilities.

The spiralling cost of living, fallout from the COVID-19 emergency, and high unemployment rates have increased the vulnerability of Venezuelan refugees and migrants and have made it difficult for many to rebuild their lives and integrate into host societies across the region. To access food or avoid homelessness, many Venezuelans resort to survival sex, begging or indebtedness.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still represent difficulties for socio-economic integration, pushing Venezuelans deeper into poverty. Many families, forced to reduce their food intake, have taken on debts to survive. They are at risk of eviction, exploitation, and protection risks. Economic hardships and political instability in some countries and increasing competition for jobs and limited access to public services have led to cases of discrimination and xenophobia.

## See also[edit]

* List of diasporas
* Venezuelans

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro survives 2019 despite U.S. insistence he'd fall". Axios. Retrieved 20 December 2019. "We have more than 1.7 million refugees, that's the official number and I think it's under-reported. Bogota has 375,000 — that's like the size of New Orleans"
2. ^ Leon, Adriana (19 October 2017). "Driven by unrest and violence, Venezuelans are fleeing their country by the thousands". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
3. ^ "Venezolanos en Perú: Migración se redujo en más de 90% en julio, según Migraciones". Perú.21 (in Spanish). 14 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
4. ^ "Brazil recalls diplomats, officials from Venezuela". Al Jazeera. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
5. ^ "UNHCR welcomes Brazil's decision to recognize thousands of Venezuelans as refugees". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. United Nations. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
6. ^ Eluniversal.com
7. ^ "Cómo los venezolanos se están convirtiendo en el chivo expiatorio por las protestas en Sudamérica". BBC News. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
8. ^ Arostegui, Martin (18 February 2018). "Spain Has Pivotal Role in Pressuring Venezuela's Maduro". Voice of America. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
9. ^ a b "Refugees and migrants from Venezuela top 4 million: UNHCR and IOM". UNHCR. UNHCR, IOM. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Últimas Noticias (2014), Venezolanos en el exterior".
11. ^ a b "El desgarrador éxodo de los venezolanos, en números". Infobae (in European Spanish). 3 September 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
12. ^ ""Más de 90 mil venezolanos ingresaron a RD por diferentes aeropuertos en 2019". Listin Diario. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
13. ^ "Popolazione residente in Italia proveniente dalla Venezuela al 1° gennaio 2022". tuttitalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-04-25.
14. ^ "¿ Cuántos venezolanos hay en Canadá y en Québec?". Archived from the original on 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
15. ^ "REPORTE DE FLUJOS MIGRATORIOS EN CENTROAMÉRICA, NORTEAMÉRICA Y EL CARIBE" (PDF). International Organization for Migration. June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
16. ^ "Venezolanos en Paraguay: Hay 828 con radicación y 58 piden refugio". Última Hora (in European Spanish). 15 January 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
17. ^ Ebus, Bram (13 November 2018). "Venezuelan migrants live in shadows on Caribbean's sunshine islands". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
18. ^ "En 2019 crecerá un 30% la llegada de venezolanos". El País (in Spanish). 20 December 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
19. ^ Data Basical Immigrants. "Immigration to Vietnam". databasicalimmigrants.weebly.com. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
20. ^ "As crisis deepens, more Venezuelans are emigrating to Lebanon". NBC News. 18 July 2017.
21. ^ "En 2019 crecerá un 30% la llegada de venezolanos". El País (in Spanish). 20 December 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "United Nations Population Division: Department of Economic and Social Affairs". United Nations Population Division. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
23. ^ "Over 5000 Venezuelan migrants in Guyana". Guyana Times. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
24. ^ "Guatemala exigirá visa a los migrantes venezolanos". El Nacional (in Spanish). 19 March 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
25. ^ "Más de 4 mil venezolanos llegaron a Bolivia en 2018, el doble que en 2017". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 15 February 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
26. ^ "Folkmängden efter födelseland, ålder och kön. År 2000 - 2021". SCB. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
27. ^ Approximate of Venezuelans living in Japan
28. ^ "Venezolanos en El Salvador respaldan a Juan Guaidó y exigen la salida de Maduro". EFE (in Spanish). 30 April 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
29. ^ "Venezolanos residentes en Honduras piden a sus compatriotas no dejar la lucha". La Prensa (in Spanish). 23 January 2019.
30. ^ a b c Olivares, Francisco (13 September 2014). "Best and brightest for export". El Universal. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
31. ^ a b "Hugo Chavez is Scaring Away Talent". Newsweek. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
32. ^ "Ten percent of Venezuelans are taking steps for emigrating". El Universal. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
33. ^ Lawler, Andrew (December 23, 2020). "Invaders nearly wiped out Caribbean's first people long before Spanish came, DNA reveals". National Geographic. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
34. ^ Reid, Michael (2007). Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11616-8. Retrieved 2024-01-31 - via Internet Archive.
35. ^ Mendisco, F.; Pemonge, M. H.; Leblay, E.; Romon, T.; Richard, G.; Courtaud, P.; Deguilloux, M. F. (2015). "Where are the Caribs? Ancient DNA from ceramic period human remains in the Lesser Antilles". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 370 (1660). NCBI. doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0388. PMC 4275895. PMID 25487339.
36. ^ a b "Diáspora de los caraqueños en 1814: La emigración forzosa a oriente" [Diaspora of Caracas in 1814: Forced emigration to the east]. Correode de Lara (in Spanish). 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
37. ^ "Bolívar, Simón". Dictionary of History of Venezuela (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-31 - via Fundación Empresas Polar.
38. ^ a b c Krusch, David. "The Virtual Jewish World: Venezuela". Jewish Virtual Library. American–Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
39. ^ "More Germans Quit Venezuela". The New York Times. 27 December 1942. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
40. ^ Gorne, Cynthia (1981-01-26). "Venezuelans choking on oil riches". The Vancouver Sun. pp. A.12. Retrieved 2024-02-01 - via Newspapers.com. "The country has the highest gross national product per capita in South America but 30 percent of the people still live below the poverty line, and the gap seems to be widening rather than narrowing."
41. ^ Jones, Richard C (April 1982). "Regional Income Inequalities and Government Investment in Venezuela". Regional Income Inequalities and the Journal of Developing Areas. 16 (3). Tennessee State University: 373–390. JSTOR 4191032. Retrieved 2024-01-31 - via JSTOR.
42. ^ Paulin, David (6 April 1997). "Venezulans in US fleeing poverty: Rising crime, inflation spur emigration". The Boston Globe. pp. A10. Retrieved 2024-02-01 - via Newspapers.com.
43. ^ Brown, Tom (16 July 2007). "Venezuelans, fleeing Chavez, seek U.S. safety net". Reuters. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
44. ^ a b c Maria Delgado, Antonio (28 August 2014). "Venezuela agobiada por la fuga masiva de cerebros". El Nuevo Herald. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
45. ^ a b "El 90% de los venezolanos que se van tienen formación universitaria". El Impulso. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
46. ^ Montilla K., Andrea (4 July 2014). "Liceístas pasan de grado sin cursar varias materias". El Nacional. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
47. ^ "Venezuela, migraciones y desplazamientos humanos". 23 May 2003.
48. ^ "Operação Acolhida, realizada na fronteira com a Venezuela, terá apoio do quartel de Caxias do Sul | Pioneiro". GZH (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
49. ^ Desideri, Leonardo. "O que é a Operação Acolhida, que recebe venezuelanos no Brasil". Gazeta do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-08-16.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Venezuelan diaspora.

* v
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Venezuelan diaspora

Americas|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Dominican Republic
* Guyana
* Mexico
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Uruguay

Europe|

* Italy
* Portugal
* Spain
* Sweden

Asia & Oceania|

* Australia
* Israel
* Syria

History|

Venezuelan refugee crisis

* International Diaspora

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