While the Venezuelan migrants being held inside the Chaguaramas Heliport continued their hunger strike on Friday, activist Yesenia Gonzalez was outside staging a one-woman protest.
The migrants have been refusing to eat until the conditions at the Heliport improve
Gonzalez said: “They are not animals. In fact, some animals here in Trinidad get treated better. They have no drinkable water, that is why I came here to deliver several cases.”
Gonzalez, according to a GML report, said she is hoping the authorities understand that Venezuelan migrants are not bent on fighting with anyone and simply want the chance to have a better life.
“We are not here to fight the Government. I am not the Government’s enemy. They are not enemies to the Government but we are expecting that they should treat these people like humans,” she said.
On Tuesday, the detainees embarked on a hunger strike over the alleged conditions at the Heliport, including leaking and unsanitary toilets, spoilt food and the lack of medical care. They also claimed that both men and women were being housed in one single space and the women had no privacy.
Yesterday, the migrants continued their hunger strike.
(photo courtesy GML)