Immigration to Venezuela

Immigration under Spanish rule

European immigration in Venezuela began in 1500 with the Spanish colonization of Cubagua island to exploit abundant pearl oysters, enslaving the indigenous people and harvesting the pearls intensively. In 1514, Dominican friars founded Cumana, the oldest Spanish city still in existence in mainland America. Many Spaniards began their explorations searching for gold, while others Spaniards established themselves as leaders of the native social organizations, teaching natives the Christian faith and the ways of their civilization. Catholic priests would provide education for Native Americans that otherwise was unavailable. Within 100 years after the first Spanish settlement, nearly 95 percent of all Native Americans in Venezuela had died. The majority of the deaths of Native Americans were the cause of diseases such as measles and smallpox, which were spread by European settlers.

Out of all Spanish nationalities, the Castilians, Canarians, Catalonians, and the Basques were the most represented. Over time, Europeans intermarried often with the Amerindian peoples, and to produce a mixed-race population which are the majority of people in Venezuela today. Starting in the early 1500s, except the authorization of german settlers in Venezuela from 1527 to 1548, Spain discouraged non-Spaniard immigration to its colonies to prevent other European countries from asserting claims over the colony. Meanwhile, nearly 200,000 Africans were forcibly brought to supply labor to the agriculture and mining economy. (see Afro-Venezuelans)

Nineteenth-century immigration

After independence in 1821, a lack of economic attractions and successive civil wars provided few incentives for immigration as Corsican immigration to Venezuela, with Corsicans playing a substantial role in the cocoa industry, German immigration included the founding of Colonia Tovar in 1843, and German traders played a significant economic role particularly around Maracaibo. By the turn of the nineteenth century and the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903, German traders dominated Venezuela's import/export sector and informal banking system.

Caribbean immigration

Because of the Venezuelan geographical location as a gateway to South America, this nation has been the plot for many newcomers, even taking place before Columbus' discovery when many aboriginal inhabitants came and left Venezuela. During the later centuries African-descendants from the Caribbean islands entered Venezuela as immigrants. Among them Trinidadians, Cubans, Dominicans, Haitians, Dutch Antilleans, Martiniquens, Grenadians; in summary people from all the Caribbean nations. To summarize Antillian blacks coming even from British, Dutch and French Guianas.

Haitians in Venezuela

The Haitian immigration has been neither valued nor documented unlike the European immigration. However, they have left their legacy in the nation. In 1806, Francisco de Miranda design the first Venezuelan flag in Jacmel (South of Haiti). On December 24, 1815 the general Simon Bolivar first set foot on Haitian soil. The liberator in 1816 with 400 men all of them Haitians fought for the freedom cause reach Venezuela.

The immigration of Haitians can be organized into three phases. The first from the beginning of the 1960s to the beginning of the dictatorship of the Duvalier causing the wave of immigrants to Venezuela. Then, with the "boom" of the Venezuelan economy a greater flow of Haitian nationals entering Venezuela (from the Netherlands Antilles). In mid-1980 the last group enter directly from Haiti, settling down first in Caracas (Carapita, Antímano, San Martin, Catia and La Vega) to exercise duties as ice cream vendors, street vendors, and so on. They are as well in Valencia and Barquisimeto (San Juan and El Tostao). Many of them trilingual, they speak French, Haitian Creole and Spanish of Venezuela.

Guyanese in Venezuela

Illegally coming from the Esequibo.

Other Antilleans in Venezuela

Many women from West Indian Caribbean came to Venezuela to work at the wealthy American expats who worked at oil fields across Venezuela. Most of them settle in Cabimas, Maracaibo, Socorro among other towns. They were hired because most of those expats refused to learn or speak in Spanish and rejected to hire Venezuela ladies as servants. In this group several English-speaking Trininadian and Grenadian maids came to Venezuela.

Post-war European immigration

After World War II, with Eduardo Mendoza Goiticoa in charge of immigration, substantial numbers of immigrants came from Europe, particularly southern Europe. As Secretary of Agriculture for Rómulo Betancourt's government, Mendoza headed the Venezuelan Institute for Immigration and embraced the creation of the International Refugee Organization in 1946 (this body was later replaced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Mendoza succeeded, despite fierce opposition within the cabinet, in ensuring that Venezuela would aid European refugees and displaced people who could not or would not return to their homes after World War II and chose to emigrate to Venezuela. He assumed responsibility for the legal protection and resettlement of tens of thousands of refugees arriving in Venezuela. International Refugee Organization officials consider Mendoza to have directed the most successful refugee program in the post-war period. Immigration reached a peak while he was minister and would later decline with a new government.

Spanish immigration

Main article: Spaniards in Venezuela

Basque immigration

Main article: Basque Venezuelan

Portuguese immigration

Main article: Portuguese Venezuelan

Italian immigration

Main article: Italian Venezuelan

Czech immigration

Main article: Czech Venezuelan

German immigration

Main article: German Venezuelan

Hungarian immigration

Main article: Hungarian Venezuelan

Corsican immigration

Main article: Corsican emigration to Venezuela{{!}}Corsican Venezuelan

Croatian immigration

Main article: Croatian Venezuelan

Serbian immigration

Main article: Serbian Venezuelan

Slovene immigration

Main article: Slovene Venezuelan

Greek immigration

Main article: Greek Venezuelan

Polish immigration

Main article: Polish Venezuelan

Scandinavian immigration

Main article: Scandinavian Venezuelan

Russian immigration

Main article: Russian Venezuelan

Ukrainian immigration

Main article: Ukrainian Venezuelan

Romanian immigration

Main article: Romanian Venezuelan

Swiss immigration

Main article: Swiss Venezuelan

Arab immigration

Main article: Arab Venezuelan

Lebanese immigration

Main article: Lebanese Venezuelan

Syrian immigration

Main article: Syrian Venezuelan

Asian immigration

Chinese immigration

Main article: Chinese Venezuelan

Japanese immigration

Main article: Japanese Venezuelan

Korean immigration

Main article: Korean Venezuelan

Indians immigration

Main article: Indians in Venezuela

North Americans in Venezuela

Mexicans in Venezuela

Canadians in Venezuela

Americans in Venezuela

Since late of the nineteenth century people from United States of America started to come to Venezuela. They were temporary immigrants. Evangelical missionaries, as well as preachers of other protestant groups, as well as oil engineers who came to work in Western Venezuela.

References

References

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3. Wright, W.R.. (2013). "Café con leche: Race, Class, and National Image in Venezuela". University of Texas Press.
4. Aporrea. (27 March 2016). "(VIDEOS) Encapuchados asesinan en su casa de Valles del Tuy al activista haitiano-venezolano Fritz Saint Louis". aporrea.org.
5. "Haitians in Venezuela: Ice cream, human trafficking and the shantytowns of Caracas". alterpresse.org.
6. (22 March 2010). "Ice cream sales a lifeline for Haitians in Caracas | Reuters".
7. "Haitian Colonial Memory in Venezuelan Politics — NURJ". thenurj.com.
8. (11 March 2007). "Thousands of Guyanese living in Venezuela's border areas – Stabroek News". stabroeknews.com.
9. [http://s1.stabroeknews.com/images/2013/11/20131124Flight1.jpg President of CONVIASA Luis Gustavo Graterol Caraballo (left) speaks with Minister of Works Robeson Benn shortly following the arrival of the first CONVIASA flight to Guyana. Looking on is CEO of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation Ramesh Ghir.]
10. Peloso, V.C.. (2003). "Work, Protest, and Identity in Twentieth-century Latin America". Scholarly Resources.
11. [The Refugee experience: Ukrainian displaced persons after World War II, Pages 30–36]
12. "Opinión y análisis – Eduardo Mendoza Goiticoa".
13. Venezuela. Embajada (U.S.). (1953). "Venezuela Up-to-date". Embassy of Venezuela.
14. "EBV – Edwin Branch Historical". cclausen.net.
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16. Marc Becker. "Work, Protest, and Identity in Latin America - Race, Gender, and Protest in Ecuador".