Time to step up for migrants Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds - Angelo Marcelle THIS MONTH marks exactly two years since an amnesty was put in place for migrant Venezuelans allowing them to live and work in this country. More than 16,000 registered under the Government’s scheme in June 2019. As of March, about 14,000 of these re-registered to remain. Some have returned – sometimes involuntarily and controversially – to Venezuela. Others have perhaps slipped off the grid or simply been unable to file fresh paperwork. But though official numbers are down, the plight of Venezuelans has in no way diminished. Last month was particularly hard on migrants. Life during the pandemic was already precarious for everyone given the general slowdown of economic activity. But the return to a lockdown and then a state of emergency aggravated these conditions to an intolerable degree, particularly for migrant families. Many have been living from pay cheque to pay cheque in the kind of jobs that were the first casualties of the newly tightened restrictions.