Ecuador has brought in new rules to stop Venezuelan migrants entering the country without a passport, leaving many stranded in neighbouring Colombia. Thousands of Venezuelans fleeing their country's economic and political crisis have been crossing into Ecuador from Colombia using only identity cards. Most are heading south to join family members in Peru and Chile.
Colombia has protested against the move, saying vulnerable people will be trapped on its side of the border. In a separate incident, residents of a Brazilian town attacked a Venezuelan migrant camp on Saturday and drove the occupants back across the border. Venezuela has suffered for years from high inflation and the chronic shortage of food and medicines.
Countries affected by Venezualn Immigration other than Ecuador:
Extra security forces have been sent to the border with Venezuela following violence near the town of Pacaraima. The Roraima state government has asked the Supreme Court to temporarily halt the entry of migrants from Venezuela, saying social services were being overwhelmed. Many of those crossing into Brazil say they are hungry and don't have access to medical services in Venezuela.
Hundreds of migrants fled back across the border and gangs of men burned their camps and their belongings. Reports said many had since crossed back into Brazil.There has been growing animosity towards the numbers of Venezuelans entering Roraima.
More than 2 million Venezuelans have emigrated amid food and medicine shortages and profound political divisions in their country, according to figures from the United Nations. Half have opted to live in Colombia, and many have arrived with only what they could carry. Providing migrants access to healthcare, utilities and education will cost Colombia between 0.26 percent and 0.41 percent of its gross domestic product this year, the report said, adding that the country must make medium-term investments to improve those services.
But legalizing migrants - some of whom cross the two countries’ porous border without visas or other permissions - will help them find formal jobs and increase tax revenue and consumption, the report said. Colombian President Ivan Duque says Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is a dictator, and he has promised to continue to accept migrants.
Of the 1.03 million Venezuelans living in Colombia, more than half a million have visas or other legal permission, while 240,000 are in the process of acquiring temporary permission. The remaining 217,000 lack authorization to stay.
Peru was one of the first countries to offer temporary residency cards for Venezuelans who have been fleeing their crisis-stricken homeland and crossing Colombia and Ecuador to reach Peru. As the deadline neared, a growing number of Venezuelans crowded at Peru’s border with Ecuador. Chiroque said he asked the government to distribute tickets to Venezuelans in line when the deadline closes, so they can be eligible for the residency cards later. Migrants met with tear gas on U.S.-Mexico border
Peru’s immigration agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra said Monday that Peru could not give residency to Venezuelans indefinitely.
Venezuela’s middle and upper-middle classes, for instance, physicians, fashion designers, interior decorators, and models are migrating to Mexico more frequently to escape the economic crisis at home. Unfortunately, undocumented fraudsters, petty criminals, and sex workers are arriving as well. In 2014, the influx of Venezuelan citizens to Mexico set a record with more than 178,000, and by 2017 Venezuelans hold the first place among the Permanent Resident Card and Humanitarian Permit Card holders, as nearly 30,000 entered the country in the first half of that year.
