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They fled Venezuela -- and transformed D.C.'s food delivery scene
D.C.
They fled Venezuela — and transformed D.C.’s food delivery scene
By María Luisa Paúl and Marisa Iati
April 21, 2024 at 4:42 p.m. EDT
It’s 4 p.m., and the corner of 14th and Irving streets NW in D.C. brims with activity. Vendors fervently tout their offerings — “mango, mango, mango fresco” and “tenemos tacos” — against a din of hip-hop, the occasional siren and a preacher’s voice booming through a loudspeaker.
Nearby, some 20 moped drivers sit parked in a line, wedged behind a bike lane and stalls selling coconuts and Ethiopian barbecue. Some sip Chick-fil-A milkshakes or listen to music as they wait for their phones to ping: the welcome sound of a hungry customer ordering delivery.
The drivers have become a fixture on this corner in Columbia Heights, part of a new wave of Venezuelan immigrants who have entered the capital’s food delivery industry and filled the city’s streets with mopeds. Many are among the nearly 8 million people who have fled Venezuela since 2014, as the country faces a political, economic and humanitarian crisis. While most have set down roots across Latin America, the number of migrants trekking north to the United States has soared in recent years. They’ve also brought a food delivery system that’s helped them survive in other countries.
The Washington Post spoke with more than 15 Venezuelan moped drivers about their growing, not-so-underground economy. Delivering food for companies like DoorDash and Uber has become a lifeline for many of D.C.’s Venezuelans, some of whom were among the more than 13,000 migrants Republican governors have bused to the city since 2022. As they pursue the months-long process of claiming asylum and applying for work permits, many immigrants have leaned on food delivery to stay afloat financially.
{snip}
By María Luisa Paúl
María Luisa Paúl is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. She joined The Post as an intern on the General Assignment desk and has previously reported at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. Twitter https://twitter.com/marialuisapaulr
By Marisa Iati
Marisa Iati is a general assignment reporter at The Washington Post — a role in which she has covered the coronavirus pandemic, police shootings, foreign wars, the White House and more. She joined The Post in 2019 and previously worked at the Star-Ledger and NJ.com in New Jersey. Twitter https://twitter.com/marisa_iati
They fled Venezuela — and transformed D.C.’s food delivery scene
By María Luisa Paúl and Marisa Iati
April 21, 2024 at 4:42 p.m. EDT
It’s 4 p.m., and the corner of 14th and Irving streets NW in D.C. brims with activity. Vendors fervently tout their offerings — “mango, mango, mango fresco” and “tenemos tacos” — against a din of hip-hop, the occasional siren and a preacher’s voice booming through a loudspeaker.
Nearby, some 20 moped drivers sit parked in a line, wedged behind a bike lane and stalls selling coconuts and Ethiopian barbecue. Some sip Chick-fil-A milkshakes or listen to music as they wait for their phones to ping: the welcome sound of a hungry customer ordering delivery.
The drivers have become a fixture on this corner in Columbia Heights, part of a new wave of Venezuelan immigrants who have entered the capital’s food delivery industry and filled the city’s streets with mopeds. Many are among the nearly 8 million people who have fled Venezuela since 2014, as the country faces a political, economic and humanitarian crisis. While most have set down roots across Latin America, the number of migrants trekking north to the United States has soared in recent years. They’ve also brought a food delivery system that’s helped them survive in other countries.
The Washington Post spoke with more than 15 Venezuelan moped drivers about their growing, not-so-underground economy. Delivering food for companies like DoorDash and Uber has become a lifeline for many of D.C.’s Venezuelans, some of whom were among the more than 13,000 migrants Republican governors have bused to the city since 2022. As they pursue the months-long process of claiming asylum and applying for work permits, many immigrants have leaned on food delivery to stay afloat financially.
{snip}
By María Luisa Paúl
María Luisa Paúl is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. She joined The Post as an intern on the General Assignment desk and has previously reported at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. Twitter https://twitter.com/marialuisapaulr
By Marisa Iati
Marisa Iati is a general assignment reporter at The Washington Post — a role in which she has covered the coronavirus pandemic, police shootings, foreign wars, the White House and more. She joined The Post in 2019 and previously worked at the Star-Ledger and NJ.com in New Jersey. Twitter https://twitter.com/marisa_iati