Opposition Slams Home Affairs Minister Over Discrepancies in Venezuelan Migrant Data
By Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn is under fire for inconsistent data regarding Venezuelan migrants in Guyana. During a recent parliamentary session, Benn reported that 15,157 Venezuelans were registered in Guyana between 2018 and November 2024 — but the regional breakdown of those figures failed to add up.
The situation took a sharper turn when Minister Benn claimed that only 23 migrants reside in Region Four, the country’s most populous and urbanized region — raising eyebrows across the House.
“Those numbers do not add up to 15,000,” said Opposition MP Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, Shadow Minister of Public Service. “Apparently, the Minister can’t add.”
Shadow Minister of Public Works David Patterson also challenged Benn’s statement, noting that the figures presented — including Region One (7,057), Region Seven (1,111), and Region Eight (865) — total only 8,596, leaving more than 7,000 unaccounted for.
Benn, admitting to the error, said:
“Let me apologize for some inadvertence in the numbers. I will confirm the numbers and submit them as a printed reply.”
The data discrepancy comes amid rising national concern over the growing Venezuelan migrant population, with many arriving due to political and economic instability, food insecurity, and violence in their home country.
Critics argue that Guyana’s migrant tracking and reporting system must be more transparent and accurate, especially as the country balances humanitarian assistance with national security and resource management.
