Venezuelans flock to Madrid on golden, humanitarian visas; only 29 asylum requests accepted by Spain last year

Fleeing the crisis in their country, the people of Venezuela have arrived in Spain in their thousands, some of them penniless, others rich Madrid: Fleeing the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in their country, Venezuelans have arrived in Spain in their thousands, some of them penniless, others so rich they are buying sumptuous flats. “I don’t have a choice as I don’t yet have ID papers and I have no more savings,” he says, as the crisis in Venezuela deepens with opposition leader Juan Guaido’s self-proclamation as interim president. “Before the crisis, I wasn’t a millionaire but I lived fine, I had a great car and everything I needed,” he says at a Venezuelan opposition protest in Madrid. “Here, we’re enjoying what we no longer had in Venezuela: going out, eating out,” says the head of a consultancy in Madrid, which still has an office in Caracas. According to Juan Carlos Gutierrez, the Madrid-based lawyer of Venezuelan opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez who also has wealthy Venezuelan clients, they have fled “insecurity.” They also “want to enjoy their money as it is impossible to run a successful business in Venezuela in the current conditions.”