Venezuelans Scour Dumpsters for Food to Resell on the Brazilian Border

By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In an attempt to survive after fleeing the crisis in Venezuela, three Venezuelan men found the only source of subsistence in the garbage dumpsters of the border town of Pacaraima, in Roraima.

Stuck among the city’s waste, immigrants search for whatever they can use, from morning to evening. They collect metal, cardboard, and food. They say they can not get a job because the city is full of needy Venezuelans, while others are committing crimes.

“We are looking for everything we can sell to get some money. If we find food that isn’t rotten, we eat it,” says Miguel Arteaga, 48, who has lived in Pacaraima for three weeks.

The number of Venezuelans fleeing to Brazil has increased amid demonstrations and clashes in the South American neighbor since last Tuesday (30th).

On Tuesday alone, 848 immigrants entered through the sorting station in the border town of Pacaraima. According to the Acolhida operation, which controls the migratory flow, the movement was considered “atypical” when compared to the daily average of 450.

Miguel Arteaga says that twice a day a truck carries more garbage to the landfill. In these moments there’s usually a rush.

“Many young Venezuelans appear, 19 or 20 years old. The Government of Venezuela is no good. It brought us to this point,” says Gustavo Santana, 48.

According to the United Nations, 3.4 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 when the political and economic crisis in the country worsened.

About 96,000 people sought refuge in Brazil, but in the border state of Roraima only nine percent successfully enter the formal market, according to a survey conducted by the
International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“There was a pregnant woman, but she’s already given birth and left,” says Fresby Artiaga, 19. “They pay 10 cents for a kilo of cardboard and R$3 for tin. After splitting up we manage to get between R$15 and R$20 a day each. It’s just enough to eat”.

One man and four boys also walk among the piles of garbage. One of the boys carries a bag on his back. They are Warao Indians, an ethnic group that lives in Venezuelan territory and who also migrate en masse to Brazil.

“One day I may get enough for ticket money and I’m out of here,” added Gustavo, “I go to the South of Brazil to find a job. To start over”.

(Source: G1)