WILLEMSTAD - Undersecretary Knops informed the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament (Senate) last week that there are no Venezuelan refugees behind bars in Curaçao. But that is not the case.
In Curaçao, Venezuelan refugees are indeed handcuffed and locked up among convicted criminals. Undersecretary Raymond Knops (Kingdom Relations) wrote to the First Chamber last Friday precisely that there are no longer refugees on this island.
According to immigration lawyers in Curaçao, Knops is being misinformed. "At least ten Venezuelans have now been detained who have applied for asylum," says lawyer Maya Elzinga-Soumah. According to her, some have been detained for more than half a year, against all agreements.
The circumstances in which Venezuelan asylum seekers are detained are contrary to international law. "If my clients have to sit in court, they are transported by three or four prison guards and handcuffed and brought to justice," says Elzinga-Soumah.
According to the lawyer, the Venezuelans do not stay in the foreigner’s barracks, but among the serious criminals in block 1 of the Koraal Specht prison. "They wear the same prison attire and are subject to the strict regime of convicted criminals if they have to serve their sentences."
INACCURACIES
The description that Elzinga-Soumah gives about the way Curaçao treats refugees is in stark contrast to what Undersecretary Knops reported to the Senate. "What he outlined in his letter to the Senate is not what happens here in practice," says the lawyer. "There are factual inaccuracies in his letter."
Knops writes that Curaçao has developed a new procedure, which means that aliens who are found without residence permits are interviewed by the authorities to be able to assess whether they might be in danger if they are returned.
"That new procedure is indeed there," says Elzinga-Soumah, "but the immigration service continues to work with the old procedure."
The lawyer gives the example of one of her clients, Eduardo, a 23-year-old man from Venezuela. “He has fled because he knows too much about true-to-government people in his city who murdered opponents of the Maduro regime. His life is in danger, reason why he fled in a boat to Curaçao last year. On February 14 this year, he was arrested by the Curaçao immigration service. ”He was subsequently put in prison among the criminals, his lawyer says, and is still detained.
SIGNALS
A spokesperson for Undersecretary Knops does not want to say whether the Netherlands will ask the government of Curaçao for clarification in this case. The Ministry emphasizes that the answers to questions about refugees depend on the cooperation of Curaçao. In a general sense, "if signals are received that the information provided may not be correct, we will naturally discuss these signals with the Curaçao government".
The Curaçao authorities have informed Knops that in 2019 (until 1 August) 324 Venezuelan migrants were returned to the country of origin without a valid residence permit. In 2018 and 2017 there were 824 and 1203 respectively. In addition, this year 52 Venezuelans objected to their removal. In 2018 and 2017 there were 16 and 8 respectively. There are an estimated 10 to 25,000 Venezuelans in hiding in Curaçao.
Fearing the Maduro regime and the disastrous living conditions in their country, thousands of Venezuelans have fled to Curaçao in recent years.
