AGE: 31
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: VENEZUELA
CHILDREN: 1
ORIGINAL OCCUPATION: POLICE OFFICER
TIME ON THE ISLAND: 4 YEARS IN TOTAL

STORY: When I first came to Curaçao it was by plane, but I was deported and the second time I came by boat. I used to be a police officer in Venezuela, and it had been a while coming. In Venezuela there is a dome of corruption and many officials do not agree with what is happening. Officials like myself aren’t fit to be part of this network of corruption. They made us vote for Maduro in 2013. One day, they called me to come in, in uniform, and present at the voting center. An official of the municipality came inside the voting booth with me, to make sure I voted for Maduro, but I didn’t want to comply, so I got suspended for 6 months. They sent me to a remote location without any light to guard something. I was placed there without weapon, without vest, radio or anything to defend myself. After some time, they reinstituted me to my original job, but they continued to give orders to attack civilians instead of protecting them and I kept clashing with my superiors. That’s when one day, I heard they were going to arrest me, so that same day I took a plane and left with just the clothes on my back.

The first time here in Curaçao I worked hard and finally managed to bring my wife and infant daughter to the island, but four days after they landed, I was arrested and deported. When I arrived to the airport in Caracas, I gave customs a fake name and when they couldn’t find me in the system, they let me go. After living underground for a month, I made my way to a village by the sea, where I lived on the beach and bathed and washed my only clothes in the sea. I could only afford 1 meal a day and I would drink rainwater. I lost a lot of weight back then. After a month of living like a beggar, I made it onto a motorboat going to Curaçao. But they accepted too many people onboard, so the boat kept making water out on the sea. We managed to get back to shore and they found a third engine to put on the boat. We departed again and spent 18 hours out on sea. It was horrible. It was dark, the sea was black, and the waves looked very, very dangerous. I know I am a strong man and I can swim, but I have never been more scared in my life. Seeing those waves and the size of the ocean, something happens in your mind. You just know you will not survive if you fall overboard.

The crossing seemed never-ending. People were getting sick and doing their needs right in the boat. It was so dark that we couldn’t find Curaçao. We kept navigating the waves in the dark with nothing but darkness all around us. Finally, we saw the flames of the Isla and knew we were getting close, but once we came closer to the coast, we realized the coastguard had detected us. We all jumped overboard and came to land on the north shore of the island. I took off my shoes and clothes and I ran as fast as I could and hid among the bushes for hours. There were helicopters and drones overhead, looking for us. I was bleeding from the scratches on my skin, but stayed hidden the entire day, from 8 in the morning until 2 after midnight. Finally, I came out of my hiding spot and started walking. When I met a guard on the road, I explained that I’m a good person and asked if he had some water and if I could use his phone. I was sunburnt, bleeding and completely dehydrated. The water I drank hurt my stomach so much I thought I was going to die. When I finally made it back to my family it took weeks to recover physically.

I would like for the people of Curaçao to show more solidarity with us Venezuelans. We have escaped a dictatorship. Our lives are in crisis. Venezuela has always been a country where it didn’t matter where you came from. The distinction people make here is very unusual to us.

To me, the future doesn’t look good. I don’t see a solution. I understand that Curaçao didn’t sign the Geneva Agreement. I’m trying to contact people in other countries to get help for us and be able to leave. My documents here are processing, and I carry a paper with me at all times that states that I cannot be deported, but I have 6 people at home who depend on me and the income I make. We all live in constant tension and uncertainty. It’s bizarre to think how my life has changed, because I used to be a police officer and not so long ago, I lived in fear of the police right here on the island. If anything happens to me, my family at home has no way of surviving. We cannot leave the island. If we leave, we have to travel through Venezuela as a first stop and that is not an option for me. My life is in danger if I ever go back.

My biggest wish is to be free. To be free. That we be approved for legal status so that we can start working towards our goals. God will give us health and we will reach our goals by working towards them. We didn’t escape Venezuela out of luxury, but out of necessity.

I would like to ask if any institution or country is able to help us and protect us from Maduro’s regime and allow us a chance to be worthy contributors to the country. My wife is licensed in administration and I’m a police officer. I would like you to add this to my story. That some institution or country help and protect us.