A collection of letters written by Venezuelan detained migrants covering the topics of their life in Venezuela, conflict, their detained experience, and their collaboration with Detainee Allies. These letters were written by six people whose identities are kept anonymous, known only by their initials: E. L., S. G., A. R., M. W., and M. R.
With rising corruption and resistance throughout Venezuela caused by various political and economic factors, these letters portray the injustices they fled, only to be met by another at the US-MX border. Many recall what is considered the ‘worst humanitarian crisis in the history of Venezuela,’ telling of physical abuse, food insecurity, and death threats.
Since detained migrants are stripped of their rights, a traditional oral history is not possible. These letters were gathered from Detainee Allies’ online database, where I received access to and heard of through UCSD’s course ‘HIUS 120D: Race and Oral History in San Diego,’ where some students and I collaborated with Detainee Allies. I am a 1st year transfer Chicanx student at UCSD, and this oral history was gathered during my Spring term of 2019.
