Venezuelans who fled to S. Florida begin planning to return home

www.sun-sentinel.com By Sandra Hernandez Staff Writer Posted January 31 2003

More than a month after many Venezuelans arrived in South Florida hoping to escape the growing crisis in their country, many are nervously making plans to go home.

Their return signals a shift in daily life in the South American nation that was virtually paralyzed by a 59-day-old strike called by the country's labor and business leaders. Schools closed and many of the country's more affluent residents fled with their families, taking temporary refuge in South Florida.

But with this week's decision by private banks to reopen, many think the strike is losing steam. Private schools, shopping malls and larger companies have announced they would reopen in the coming days.

In addition, the government announced oil production surpassed 1 million barrels a day this week, signaling that President Hugo Chávez has regained control of the oil company.

Those changes have pushed many Venezuelans here to book flights as they move to resume life back home.

"If you want to fly to Caracas tomorrow, there is no space. Our flights are full," said Camilo Herrera, a reservations agent with Avianca, a Colombian carrier that flies between Miami and Caracas. "They've been full for the past few days. People may have been postponing their return and are now going back."

Finishing school

Among those making the return trip is Deborah, 43, a Caracas resident who has been living with her husband and two children in North Miami since Dec. 20.

"My main reason for going back is because I want my son to be able to finish the school year," she said. "But I'm really nervous and afraid because I'm going back to a country at war. I'm going back to a country where you have to stand in line for food, for gas, for everything. That is a country at war."

Deborah, like many Venezuelans who spoke to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, did not want her identity disclosed because of immigration concerns including denial of future tourism visas.

She said her family spends most days in the condo that until now served as a vacation address. They meet friends at a local cafe to talk about the situation back home. "This isn't a vacation because we don't have money to spend. We are just getting by."

The strike, which began Dec. 2, was called by labor and business groups that oppose Chávez's government. They are demanding early elections and Chávez's resignation. Chávez has refused. He insists opponents must wait until August for a referendum, as permitted in the constitution.

The strike gained momentum after workers at the state-run oil company known as PDVSA joined the work stoppage. Much of the country's oil production was shut down, and for the first time in recent history Venezuela was forced to import petroleum.

Legal status

The crisis spilled over into South Florida, where thousands of Venezuelans arrived for an indefinite stay.

Many, like Deborah, are living in a state of limbo, fearful of the violence that is a near-daily occurrence in Venezuela but refusing to live as undocumented immigrants in this country.

"I'm very afraid but I have no alternative but to go back. I can't stay here because I don't have the necessary immigration papers and I don't want to be living here without them. That is a hard life. And I have my son's future to think about. He attends a very good private school in Caracas. I can't afford to pay for a private school here," she said.

Others, like Juan, aren't ready to make the decision yet. He admits that he is in the minority of his friends, many of whom are choosing to return. "I would say about 70 percent of the people I know who are in my same situation are going home now.

"It is really tough to know what to do but I think I'm going to try and stay, at least for awhile," said the businessman. "I'm giving myself six months to see what I can do here, if I can try and move my business up here because right now I can't work in Venezuela."

The challenges of remaining here aren't just economic. There are also emotional borders to cross. "It isn't easy. We still have a house there, our clothes are still in the closet, my company is there," Juan said.

Harsh penalties

One concern for those who might stay is their immigration status. Many Venezuelans who are temporarily in South Florida are here on tourist visas that allow them to remain in the country for up to six months but carry stiff penalties if they overstay those permits. Under immigration law, anyone who overstays a visa for more than six months is barred from re-entering the United States for 10 years.

"I'm getting a lot of cases of people who are calling me because they are thinking of remaining here as tourists and want to stay but don't want to violate the immigration law," said Ileana Arias Tovar, an attorney in Weston.

Tovar, who is Venezuelan, said many others are choosing to go back, at least for now. "The majority are going back because they want their children to finish out their school year," she said.

Carolina, who also asked her name not be used, said she came because of her children. She has been living with her sister since January but plans to return to Caracas next month. Like Deborah, her decision to leave and now to return is driven by concern for her children.

"They [children] couldn't really learn anything there even though the school was trying to send their homework via e-mail so I decided to bring them here," she said. "But making the decision to remain is really about closing a chapter in my life and my family's life that I'm not ready to make, at least not like this."

Sandra Hernandez can be reached at shernandez @sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7923.