Deep Dive with Shawn Fleeing My Homeland: Venezuela (with Lever Alejos)
In July of last year – 2022 – Lever Alejos emerged from the jungle in Panama, with no shoes, and just the tattered remains of clothes that still clung to his body after almost a week trekking through the Darien Gap – a 60 mile stretch of untamed, undeveloped jungle between Colombia and Panama. Lever was coming from Venezuela, escaping political persecution, in search of a better life.
On arriving at the Texas border, he was processed by the United States government and then - and put on a bus out of the state, not knowing where he was being sent, presumably at the direction of Texas governor Greg Abbott. Although – I have to say that the governors of Texas, Arizona, and Florida have all employed this practice with immigrants arriving at the border, and they have done so shrouded in secrecy, so the details remain unclear as to which governor is responsible for which bus. This fact alone is unsettling – and, to my mind, I have to wonder why keep it a secret, unless one is worried about its legality or its humanity.
In end, Lever was dropped off in Washington DC, and this is is currently where he is.
This episode is about Lever and his experience coming to the United States – why he left Venezuela, what his journey here was like, how he has been received in the United States, and what he hopes for his future.
While this is a very personal story – I urge you to consider this when listening: this is one of thousands of similar stories. Of people fleeing persecution, violence, war, torture – at the hands of their governments, most often authoritarian governments. Lever was one of the lucky few to have successfully made it – and by that I mean, survived the journey. Many people have died trying – either succumbed to the environment or have been murdered by police, cartels, bandits, and other nefarious actors.
As you will hear from Lever – people are putting their lives, very literally, on the line for a better life than the one their own government is providing. And, regardless of your politics, this should give you some pause. At minimum – to consider how lucky we all are to live in the country that we do.
Mentioned:
Lever Profiled in New York Times
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
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Music:
Majestic Earth - Joystock