Tragedies at sea: Venezuelan migrants continue to flock to Trinidad and Tobago despite border closure Click to read this article in English Source: Trinidad Express Upon completing my PhD at the University of Miami, I returned to Trinidad and Tobago in 2018. The first change that I noticed moving back home was the large number of Venezuelans almost everywhere I went—in supermarkets, malls, taxis, and bars, even in the countryside where I lived. Eager to practice my Spanish, I often struck up conversations with Venezuelan migrants who were willing to speak to me, as almost none of them knew any English. From time to time, I hired Venezuelans to do odd jobs around the house. One day I offered Carlos, a migrant whom I had recently met, a hot lunch prepared by my mother after he was finished working. He told me that it had been a long time since he had a complete meal. I asked him how he came to Trinidad, and—like many other migrants that I have met over the last three years—he described his perilous journey by sea from his home country and illegal entry into Trinidad and Tobago. Carlos explained that he was compelled to undertake the life-threatening voyage because he could simply no longer feed his family in Venezuela. Several months later, I saw Carlos with a young woman and child, walking to the supermarket. He excitedly introduced me to his wife and baby, who had successfully made the boat journey to Trinidad about six months after him.