Caracas Chronicles

There are so many things to be said about T2’s policies against Venezuelans living in the US and I think we’ve tackled almost all of them. Particularly on the TPS saga, and on the stories of those 600,000 Venezuelans that were left without a legal status and that are now trapped between a legal limbo and the decision to pack up their new start and move elsewhere. The removal of the TPS has impacts that go beyond those directly affected and their loved ones—we all know someone who’s had to say goodbye to a brother, a parent, a tía. As a young migrant community we were learning that the best chance that we have in this country is to rely on our own people. It’s a lesson that it’s not easily learned and that folks from Central America and Cubans mastered a long time ago. Arriving in the US, setting up shop, and pretending that the American market is just going to welcome you with open arms is a fantasy. Those that break through and actually become mainstream are part of the lucky few and the role model for the rest of the venekian entrepreneur community. Making it in America is damn hard.

The crunch for Venezuelan businesses is real. All the alarms that were set off regarding the impact of Trump’s migration policies over Florida are now materializing.

The problem here is that we could flush you with dozens of stories and anecdotes, but those wouldn’t be much more than just that: stories and anecdotes. We need hard data, not only to know how this juncture has affected the community, but also to show our real impact on the US economy. Because in this land money talks and bullshit walks, and this is the most effective way to become relevant in the eyes of politicians and policymakers.

VACC estimates that there may be around 70,000 Venezuela owned businesses contributing around $62 billion to the economy. Not too shabby, eh?

The Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce (of the United States) or VACC for its English acronym, not to be confused with the Venezuela based Venamcham, has taken on the challenge of gathering data to measure the impact of Venezuelan owned businesses in the US. The study is called Venezuela Business Power and it’s being developed by VACC in partnership with Florida International University and Datos Group.

Imagine what could be done if we had solid numbers on how much revenue these businesses generate per year or if we could have an estimate of how much they contribute to the IRS, in detail, by state, by city.  How many companies with +50% Venezuela ownership are there? In which industries? How many employees depend on them? VACC estimates that there may be around 70,000 Venezuela owned businesses contributing around $62 billion to the economy. Not too shabby, eh?

If you are a Venezuelan American and you own a business in the US we urge you to register your company in the study by answering this very brief questionnaire. It’s a very small effort that will go a long way. And don’t worry, your data will be secure.