Minister Ollongren and State Secretary Knops, now in the ABC Islands, must solve the problem of Venezuelan refugees.

THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD - Reception in the region is a central concept in the Dutch government's foreign policy. Just like human rights. Generally, regions where refugees must be received are far beyond the borders of our kingdom. Unexpectedly, the Dutch kingdom itself is now that region, in a small but special "corner": Curaçao. The reception of fleeing Venezuelans on the island is inadequate: human rights are being violated. It is high time for the kingdom to make good efforts to receive refugees in its own region.

Distraught

Curaçao, an island state with 160,000 inhabitants, is struggling with major problems. The exploitation of the Curacao oil refinery by the Venezuelan oil company brought a lot of employment and foreign exchange, just like rich Americans and Venezuelans who spend their money in paradise tourist resorts.

Now everything is different. Due to American sanctions against Venezuela, the refinery is not operating, hotels are closing their doors, airline InselAir has been declared bankrupt. 26 percent of the population is unemployed. The crisis in Venezuela is leaving deep marks in the Curaçao economy and public finances are going astray. Last Tuesday the long awaited third instruction of the Financial Supervision Board came to Curaçao.

Meanwhile, in Venezuela, less than 80 kilometers away, a political, social and economic drama is taking place. The world community is preparing to provide humanitarian aid on a large scale. Distraught Venezuelans leave the country.

And there it starts to wriggle on Curaçao. Under pressure from a murmuring population, a faltering economy and declining government revenues, the government in Willemstad is trying to keep undocumented Venezuelan migrants away. This group is incarcarated as criminals.

Little boats

For generations, people have been traveling back and forth between the South American mainland and the Caribbean islands off the coast. Boats bring fish, fruit and seasonal workers. All outside the official rules and without international supervision. In addition to fish and fruit, the boats also bring drugs and weapons and facilitate human trafficking. And now also increasingly refugees from Venezuela.

These fleeing Venezuelans, who may be entitled to international protection, become the child of the bill. They do not receive shelter or protection but are treated like criminals who must be deported as quickly as possible. That this is accompanied by human rights violations is not something the Curaçao government is worried about. It warns again and again about a possible suction effect if it does not act strongly against illegal Venezuelans.

The Netherlands

Curaçao is an autonomous country within the kingdom and is responsible for asylum policy and migration. However, the other countries in the kingdom have a duty of care for each other, certainly in times of need. Moreover, foreign policy is a kingdom issue: if there are human rights violations within the kingdom, the kingdom will be called to account. However, the Netherlands does not stand up for refugees who are entitled to protection. Curaçao observers argue for a more professional attitude in the Netherlands: propose less neutral and more active solutions.

Already in July 2018, the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) warned of legal inequality and in particular pointed to the observance of human rights within the kingdom. The potential impact of the Venezuela crisis on Curaçao is forcing a more proactive stance to protect Venezuelan refugees. Everyone understands that in the current situation Curaçao cannot handle the inflow with its own means in accordance with refugee law. Let Curaçao and Dutch civil servants work together to further shape a functioning asylum procedure for Curaçao.

Protecting Venezuelan refugees in no way detracts from the independence and personal responsibility of the country of Curaçao. Moreover, it would adorn a country (the Netherlands) that is always full of human rights and reception in the region, certainly now that it turns out that the kingdom appears to be that region due to circumstances.