A bricklayer in Venezuela is one of many Portuguese nationals trying to get nationality for his offspring. But in the case of Domingos da Silva Garrido there are eight of them, and they belong to a tribe known as Pemon Indians which traditionally does not accept marriages with ‘other races’. This case may be different, however, particularly as reports suggest Pemon Indians have been massacred by Venezuela’s military (click here).
For now, Garrido’s rather charming story (“I came, fell in love with my wife, and then the children started coming. More and more of them, so I had to stay…”) has been highlighted in the Portuguese media, with the focus on his attempts to get government help to get his family out of Venezuela and to the safety of Portugal.
Meantime, the situation in the South American country that became home to so many thousand Portuguese emigrés remains dire, with citizens facing a daily struggle for survival.
Today (Tuesday) reports say President Trump has issued an executive order (late on Monday) placing a full economic embargo on the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro.
He has also apparently warned Russia and China that if they continue to support Maduro, they “may never get back their billions of dollars”.
