An interesting discussion (in Spanish) of what has lead to the current situation in Venezuela and its impacts on. Odern Venezuelans.
At 52:30 he mentions that the Venezuelan exodus is the greatest in history, but that is if we ignore that Dominicans have been in a much worse situation. The Dominican population lost 2/3rds in a matter of a handful of years largely due to the Haitian invasions, particularly Dessalines. Some massacred, most fled to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Venezuela (ironically).
In order for Venezuela to even begin to get an idea of what this was like, it would have to lose at least 20 million in a handful of years, which would equal to 2/3rds of its population in 2015 when the Venezuelan exodus began. Venezuela would have to empty itself of people. Then those that remain would have to hide in the forests and the mountains in fear of their lives, Then when they came out of their hiding places, witness that most of the towns have been reduced to rubble by the invaders and even in the campos all the homes near their marching trails were pillaged and burned, domestic aninals either stolen or killed for no reason, and all the crops in the conucos fully destroyed. All records of who owns what, birth and death records, baptisms, matrimonies, etc all up in smoke.
While that would make Venezuela feel much closer to what Dominicans went through, it will not quite be the same. One, the time frame. Already more years have gone by since the Venezuelan exodus started vs the Dominican one. Second, the mess created in Venezuela was done by Venezuelans, but Dominicans had to live through that because of foreigners on both sides since the Dominicans were not in control of their territory, it was the French on one side and the Haitians on the other.
Venezuela’s exodus might be the “greatest in history,” but it isn’t as traumatic as was the Dominican one. To add salt to injury, one caused by themselved (different political factions, but all Venezuelans) while the other inflicted on them by foreigners that nobody invited to begin with.