Alexis Mogollon is the manager of The Arepazo, a landmark restaurant in Miami Venezuelans feel at home. He lives for 29 years in the United States and has never seen anything like it: since early 2015, between 15 and 18 compatriots come daily to ask for work. "It's heartbreaking, but I can not," he says. In return, every Saturday Mogollon food delivery to a parish so that shared between the Venezuelan community is in trouble.
Luis Barbero / The Country
The situation has Mogollon symbolizes a growing phenomenon: the constant drip of Venezuelans who leave their country to the United States and, specifically, to Miami, fleeing famine and insecurity. Air-called boat people arriving by plane and most have immigration controls in going with the family to Disney in Orlando, located about 400 kilometers north of Miami. They enter with a tourist visa with the essential luggage to avoid suspicion, but his aim is to stay in the United States.
Then many turn to Doral, a city in Miami-Dade County is home to thousands of Venezuelans. Doral is an emerging city with an unemployment rate of 4%, which has about 70,000 inhabitants, of which almost 30% came from Venezuela, which is why many the denominated Doralzuela. Its mayor, Luigi Boria, born in Caracas 57 years ago. "People are fleeing the attacks, violence, insecurity, lack of freedoms," said the alderman, proud of the adaptation of his countrymen, characterized mostly by its high academic training (there are many engineers, doctors , journalists ...) and entrepreneurial spirit (no Venezuelan capital city behind many of the business and real estate projects in Miami).
Washing dishes and cars
In a few months, most attempts to create his own company, although many go before by "wash dishes and clean cars," said Joseph Hill, an accused in his country to put a bomb at the Spanish embassy in Caracas in 2003 and directs exmilitar the association Venezuelan political refugees in exile (Veppex). Doral, imbued with accents, flavors and sounds that move imaginatively to Caracas is full of companies founded by Venezuelan engaged in export, and computing power.
The census every 10 years the US government prepares clearly shows this diaspora. In 2000, there were just over 90,000 registered Venezuelans in the United States, that figure soared to 215,000 just 10 years later. These data are now clearly overcome. Veppex, organization that is branded as radical by the Government of Nicolas Maduro, estimates that there are more than 250,000 in Florida and reside in the United States some 90,000 irregular shape. Hill distinguishes two stages in this migratory phenomenon, which has similarities to the different waves of Cubans to Miami. "Between 1999 and 2013, 60% of those who came were politically motivated. The last two years, 70% comes from the economic disaster and insecurity, "he says.
In the second profile fits Juan Alberto Leal, 60, a civil engineer who arrived a year and a half ago in Miami and Venezuela had two small businesses related to construction. "Everything has stopped there, no supplies at all," said Leal, who is riding a small business for housing rehabilitation with the savings that still treasures.
There is another element that distinguishes the two migratory stages. "The wealthy people were the first to arrive. Now for those who have nothing. Arrive at the airport with a suitcase with $ 400, knowing nothing, "says the manager of The Arepazo. This is the case of Carlos Mena, 64, who landed in Miami three months ago with his wife and three children. In Venezuela was gandolero (truck driver) and earned a comfortable life until the atmosphere became unbreathable. "To get sugar or medicines had to queue for a whole night," said Mena, who survives with scarce capital he brought with the help of the parish, with his wife revenue achieved as a seamstress ...
Amidst this exodus, Veppex with congressional Republicans are promoting a law to regularize the Venezuelans who arrived between 1999 and 2013. Among those who arrived later, Hill has warned federal authorities in the United States of boliburgueses, people They have enriched under the shelter of the Venezuelan regime and now seek to protect the money accumulated Miami. "They used to live in Miami's financial district, but now invest in Doral," said Hill, who concludes: "Your money comes from corruption. Rats are fleeing the ship. "