In South America several countries have welcomed thousands of Venezuelans, but restrictions have begun to appear

Brazil is not the only country that has suffered the impact of the Venezuelan exodus, as in August about 1200 immigrants have been forced to return to their country, according to El País of Spain. Other nations in the region, such as Colombia, Peru and Ecuador have also experienced this problem. In the Colombian case, as in Brazil, the arrival of Venezuelans is represented in great figures. At the beggining of the same month, Migration Colombia registered the permanence of near 870 thousand Venezuelans in the coffee country.

Leer en español: Miles de venezolanos son deportados de estos países latinoamericanos

Because of this, the Colombian government has seen the need to create deportation plans in which hundreds of Venezuelans are returned to their country every day. In recent days, for example, the Police of Santa Marta, a city located in northern Colombia, has deported more than 165 people due to some irregularities they presented for their entry and future stay in the country.

"These controls seek to discourage, persuade and generate authority (…) We will continue these operations for several days," said the mayor of Santa Marta, Rafael Martinez, in conversation with El Heraldo. On the side of Ecuador and Peru, both countries decided to shield themselves from the excessive entry of Venezuelans IGNORE INTO their territories, through passports that are much more demanding in terms of validity.

In the Ecuadorian case, the authorities "do not allow the entry of Venezuelans who hold a passport with an expiration date of less than six months," reports El Nacional. For its part, Peru, a country that has already received more than 400,000 immigrants, has decided to ask for the legal passport for each of the Venezuelans who wishes to enter there, although some rules have been relaxed.

You can also read: Venezuelans will have to present their passport to enter Ecuador and Peru

"In the case of minors in transit to Peru to meet their parents, they will enter with their birth certificate. If this is the case, the adult who accompanies him must have a passport," said Interior Minister Mauro Medina.

Because of this, hundreds of Venezuelan have hastened their entry IGNORE INTO Peruvian lands, in order to be able to settle in that country. "Immigrants begin to enter our country irregularly in the border areas. Many are deceived by unscrupulous taxi drivers and even by 'coyote' mafias," explains El Comercio de Perú.

International defense

That is why the United Nations (UN), represented by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, and the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing, have asked the neighboring nations to be a little more permissive and tolerant of the human exodus that Venezuela has had during the last two years.

It may interest you: Xenophobia towards Venezuelans: The result of Nicolás Maduro's decisions

According to El Tiempo, these commissions have shown their concern with this situation, so "it is essential that any new measure continues to allow those who need international protection, who are in safety and can make their asylum request." Chile is one of the countries that has shown its support to the northern neighbors. According to La Tercera, by the end of 2017, the country received approximately 165,000 Venezuelans.

In addition, according to an investigation conducted by KeyClouding, 90% of Chileans approve the inclusion of Venezuelans in the labor market, as well as that 80% of their companies have had good relations with employees arriving from Venezuela. In fact, such is the Chilean acceptance that Andrea Díaz, journalist born in Venezuela, will be his representative in Miss Universe 2018.

LatinAmerican Post | Christopher Ramírez Hernández

Translated from "Cada día, miles de venezolanos son deportados de estos países latinoamericanos"