More Venezuelans seeking U.S. asylum

[John Dibble]

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/nation/16579076.htm

More Venezuelans seeking U.S. asylum

ALFONSO CHARDY AND CASEY WOODS
Posted on Tue, Jan. 30, 2007

MIAMI - Parallels in Alejandro Costa's family history are unsettling.

His father, Jose Costa Moure, fled to Venezuela in 1959 after Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba. Costa fled Venezuela in 2004 after concluding that Castro's ally in Caracas, President Hugo Chavez, was turning Venezuela into another Cuba.

More than 2,000 Venezuelans received U.S. asylum in 2004 and 2005, newly-released figures by the Office of Immigration Statistics indicate. In 1997 - the year before Chavez was first elected - only nine Venezuelans received asylum in the United States.

The latest figures show a surge of Venezuelans moving to the United States either through asylum, permanent residence or other visas. The number of Venezuelans who got green cards in 2005 - almost 11,000 U.S. permanent residents - was more than double those in 2000.

Those who seek asylum are claiming persecution or that communism is about to take hold in Venezuela. In 2004 and 2005, more than 3,000 Venezuelans filed petitions for asylum in immigration courts - a dramatic rise from 1997 to 2001 when only a few dozen applied each year.

Costa, 41, left in 2004 after thugs he believes were pro-Chavez beat up his wife Claudia and threatened to kill him. The couple and their two daughters and a son got asylum in 2005.

A prominent chef, Costa was running catering services for wealthy clients and major companies. His wife was a senior training executive for the Wendy's restaurant chain in Venezuela.

Costa said he got in trouble when he began a free catering service for employees of the Venezuelan oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela SA or PDVSA after they went on strike against Chavez in 2002.

His departure evoked memories of his father's past in Cuba.

"I kept thinking about my father, who was forced to leave his country because communism had taken over," Costa said. "Now, the same thing was happening to me."

To gain asylum, an applicant must prove a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. An applicant's sole testimony may be enough to prove persecution if it's deemed believable and detailed by either a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum officer or an immigration judge.

continued

[David S]

I wonder how many Americans are seeking asylum in Venezuela?

Let me guess ,,,,zero?

[opebo]

Obviously the rich will always flee 'socialism' for fascism.

[John Dibble]

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Just what I thought. It is the business elite that is fleeing after they realized the people have awaken and will not be ruled without their consent.

As with most third-world countries save possibly Mexico the poor, the majority of the people, do not appear in those refugee groups because they cannot afford to travel to the US. Now, the American elite sees these "poor" rich people crying for their lost perks and feels sorry for them without seeing what the majority of Venezuelans have gained...a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not the wealthy corporate elites.

Last time I checked rich people were still people - did this man in particular do anything to warrant having his wife beaten and be given death threats? Somehow I doubt perks are his issue.

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people protects all of them - not just the rich, not just the poor, not just those inbetween but all of them. It doesn't persecute people for their economic status or political affiliation. If Chavez's government only protects the poor and persecutes the rich then they are not any better than a government that protects the rich and persecutes the poor. If it only protects Chavez supporters and persecutes his opposition then it's just as bad as a government that does the opposite.

[bullmoose88]

Frankly given the nature of the posted article (small, summary like) its probably unfair to make conjectures and generalizations about the class of those fleeing venezuela.

But I sense a class war is certainly brewing on these boards.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Rich people have done very well out of Chavez; well a new class of rich people anyway. The situation there is more complicated than is generally understood.

[Gustaf]

Chavez is a thug. I just hope Venezuela doesn't get any worse than it already is.

[Verily]

Rich people have done very well out of Chavez; well a new class of rich people anyway. The situation there is more complicated than is generally understood.

Yes, the "new rich" who have been made rich by being a part of Chavez's machine have done well. The "old rich", the traditional aristocrats who held power for a long time due to foreign economic ties (mostly to the US but also to elsewhere) have suffered. That shouldn't really come as a surprise.