Argentina is a tough place for Venezuelans fleeing crisis

First went the chicken, and then the sugar. Meat disappeared and bread soon after. Venezuela’s food shortages, skyrocketing prices and rampant crime made the decision for Veronica Garcia: She would find refuge in Buenos Aires. But Garcia was greeted by Argentina’s currency crisis when she and her boyfriend, Miguel Nicorsin, arrived in late June. The peso is down 50 percent this year, inflation is climbing and the economy is sinking into recession. That has spooked the young couple. For while it is true that it’s highly unlikely that Argentina will turn into the next Venezuela, the young emigres can’t help but see the current crisis through the narrow lens of their recent –– and very traumatic –– experience back home. More…