Silenced by Status: The Impact of Fear Among Venezuelan Migrants in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

This article examines the role of status in the life of Venezuelan migrants (asylum seekers and refugees) living in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). The non-compliance by T&T with international obligations toward the protection of asylum seekers and refugees, places these Venezuelan migrants in a precarious situation due to the intersectional and layered nature of their status in T&T. The consequence of their legal status results in the targeting of Venezuelan migrants for having irregularly entered T&T. Racial and ethnic markers of status, along with sociocultural status are linked to attitudes of xenophobia by T&T nationals toward Venezuelan migrants and reinforce challenges of integration. The totality of these consequences of status on the reality for Venezuelan migrants in T&T undergirds a persistent state of fear. In an attempt to facilitate acceptance in T&T, they hide their accent, primary language spoken, and other aspects of their culture. Their voice is silenced but their stories are told through the advocates who work with them in T&T. In the midst of a hostile environment, these advocates use their status as T&T nationals to illuminate the fear-filled realities of Venezuelan migrants in T&T.