Immigration
Guaidó accuses Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard of killing a child migrating to the island
Venezuelan boy was fleeing Maduro's regime with his mother
February 7, 2022 8:03am
Updated: February 7, 2022 12:26pm
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó demanded justice for the Venezuelan boy migrating to Trinidad and Tobago with his mother and died after the island's coast guard shot at their boat.
"The death of a Venezuelan child, who together with his mother was fleeing the dictatorship, hurts us in our soul as a country," Guaidó posted on his Twitter account. "The shots fired by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard have no justification, they killed him (...) we demand justice."
La muerte de un niño venezolano, que junto a su madre huía de la dictadura, nos duele en el alma como país.
— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) February 7, 2022
Los disparos realizados por la Guardia Costera de Trinidad y Tobago no tienen justificación, lo mataron. Desde el Gobierno Legítimo de Venezuela pedimos justicia. https://t.co/ihHZEaXbor
Opposition leader David Smolansky also shared on Twitter the statement published by the island nation's Coast Guard, explaining that they shot at the boat's engine in an attempt to stop it and in "self-defense." They said that the migrants tried to "ram" them.
In the statement, the island nation officials said that they discovered the illegal migrants that remained in hiding only after inspecting the vessel.
"Other controls detected an illegal migrant woman holding a child and indicated that she was bleeding. The vessel was taken alongside the TTS Scarborough (law enforcement vessel), and the injured woman was stabilized and taken to a local health center. Unfortunately, the child was unresponsive," the statement added.
Smolansky demanded an investigation so that there could be justice. "Enough of shootings, castaways, and deportations," he wrote.
The opposition leader claimed that the regime "caused the exodus of more than 6 million Venezuelans" and that "many end up taking dangerous routes” to escape.
"We claim our people’s right to receive protection and seek refuge, as they are fleeing a complex humanitarian emergency and violation of human rights," he added.
