Between a ‘Kingdom’ and a hard place: the Dutch Caribbean and the Venezuelan migration crisis

ABSTRACT The small island developing states (SIDS) of the Dutch Caribbean have categorized themselves as ill-equipped to provide adequate protection for vulnerable migrants and refugees from Venezuela. Their status as semi-autonomous states with sovereignty over migration matters but whose foreign policy is governed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands distinguishes them from other SIDS in the Caribbean also experiencing increasing arrivals. The paper analyses this issue relying on interviews with elites involved in the fields of human rights, justice and migration management; content analysis of media reports; as well as archival research. The research shows that a confluence of factors has impacted the islands’ response, including their small size, regional geo-politics, and a deficient refugee protection framework. The research also reveals a contest of responsibility for migrant protection between the local and Kingdom governments, which has jeopardized the capacity of the states of Aruba and Curaçao to effectively address the migrant crisis, with negative implications for undocumented migrants. The paper contributes to forced migration scholarship by providing data on the Dutch Caribbean, which along with other countries in the Southern Caribbean have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis relative to their size.