President Iván Duque was joined United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi this week to announce that Colombia will extend temporary protective legal status to 1.73 million Venezuelan migrants in the country. As a result of the new designation, roughly 966,000 of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia who until now did not possess legal status can now seek employment and receive health care through their new 10-year residence permits. The provision will apply to anyone who arrived in Colombia before January 31 and those who enter the country in the subsequent two years.
Last year, the number of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia fell by 2% last year due to coronavirus lockdown measures. In April, Colombia imposed a 19-day quarantine to limit the spread of COVID-19, and several Venezuelan immigrants were evicted and forced to return to their home country.
With the latest announcement, Colombia expects the number of Venezuelan migrants to rise once more. However, Duque has called on the international community to support Colombia with financial assistance and vaccine deliveries for its large immigrant population. In fact, in comparison to the $7.8 billion the world spent in the first four years of the Syrian refugee crisis, only $580 million has been devoted towards the Venezuelan refugee crisis.
Duque called the change a “milestone in Colombia’s migration policies”, while the UN’s Grandi called the decision “historic”, “unprecedented”, and an “extraordinary gesture”. This measure follows the Trump administration’s decision last month to stay the deportation of tens of thousands of Venezuelans in the United States (US). Given that there are 4.7 Venezuelan migrants across Latin America, Grandi has called on others to follow Colombia’s example.
Likewise, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, issued a statement welcoming Colombia’s announcement, saying it will “contribute to the pandemic recovery process”, while also offering the UN’s support.
Venezuelans have emigrated from the country in large numbers due to rising inflation, unemployment, crime, and fuel, medicinal, and food shortages.
It is thought that this latest move forms part of Duque’s aim to debilitate the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which Colombia considers as illegitimate. Colombia, like the US, views opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader of the country.
In fact, during his announcement on the latest measures to protect Venezuelan migrants, Duque said, “If we want to stop this crisis countries have to reflect about how to end the dictatorship in Venezuela,” adding, “We have to think about how to set up a transitional government and organize free elections.”
Regardless of the political motivations, Colombia’s move to protect hundreds of thousands of vulnerable migrants has been appreciated and welcomed as a historic humanitarian gesture.
Colombia Offers 10-Year Residence Permits to 1.7 Million Venezuelan Migrants
As a result of the new designation, roughly 966,000 of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia who until now did not possess legal status can now seek employment and receive health care.
February 10, 2021
IMAGE SOURCE: LUISA GONZALEZ / REUTERSUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (L) and Colombian President Iván Duque