WILLEMSTAD - According to Justice Minister Quincy Girigorie, there are currently around 16,000 Venezuelans in Curaçao.

The minister stated that since 2015, a group of between 9,000 and 10,000 Venezuelans have been legally resident on the island and, according to estimates, between 5,000 and 6,000 are residing illegally on the island.

The minister also explained that a few dozen Venezuelans illegally staying on the island recently flew home with a special flight from the government in Caracas, the so-called Patriotic flight; "Vuelo de la Patria".