Colombia Gives Legal Status to 540,000 Migrants from Venezuela

Colombia has announced that the country is granting legal status to hundreds of thousands of migrants from Venezuela amid Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro's continued repression and crackdowns on any form of dissent.

Millions have already left Venezuela as the political and economic crisis in the country is driving a massive exodus. While many of them head to the US-Mexico border and try their luck at being granted asylum, others opt to stay in neighboring Colombia, which has long been at odds with the Nicolas Maduro regime.

Many Venezuelans often choose to head further north once they get to Colombia, braving the treacherous Darien Gap and cartel territories just to reach the US-Mexico border. For those that don't, however, they choose to stay in Colombia and maybe get a better life there,

Over 2.8 million Venezuelan migrants are currently in Colombia, and these include several minors, who number around 270,000. The legal status will be granted to them and their guardians, which means that approximately 540,000 will be given permission to reside in the country, according to Reuters.

"It's a special permission to stay, like the previous ones, that fundamentally seeks to integrate guardians, those people who have responsibility for minors who have a temporary protection permit and who live in Colombia," said the director of Colombia's migrant agency, Carlos Fernando Garcia, during a press conference.

This continues Colombia's tendency to accept those escaping persecution in Venezuela, with former President Ivan Duque promising a 10-year legal status to Venezuelans living in Colombia back in 2021. Many migrants took up Duque's offer and continue to live in Colombia to this day.

Migrants from Venezuela Actually Boosting Colombia's Economy

While most countries have shunned Venezuelan migrants, Colombia has been embracing them. A new study by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows why the country is right in doing so.

According to the IOM study, Venezuelan migrants have boosted the economy of Colombia by 529.1M. The study claims that this "highlights the significant economic contribution of Venezuelan migrants and refugees across Latin America and the Caribbean."

"Migration acts as a driver of development, and these studies provide empirical evidence supporting this and show how migration can foster growth in the economic and social force in host countries," said the IOM Special Envoy for the regional response to the outflows of Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees.

These migrants go to work when they are in another country, and most of them work in the various informal sectors.

Venezuela Migrants Still Face Plenty of Peril

As for those who chose not to stick around Colombia and cross the infamous Darien Gap, danger and peril face these Venezuelan migrants as a daunting jungle filled with criminal groups and rebels stands between them and their goal of reaching the US-Mexico border.

Since Colombia and Venezuela reopened their shared border, more and more Venezuelans have fled the country. However, criminal groups who fight for control of the paths that migrants usually take have taken advantage of this influx, with many extorting these migrants or scamming them out of their money.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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