Latin American Countries Open Borders to Refugees from Socialist Venezuela

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Latin American countries open their borders to refugees from Socialist Venezuela
Venezuela’s Socialist president Maduro refuses humanitarian aid

Latin American countries open their borders to refugees from Socialist Venezuela

Latin American countries meeting in Quito on Tuesday (AFP)

As the flood of 2.3 million refugees have fled Socialist Venezuela, with no end in sight, much of Central and South America is becoming destabilized and neighboring countries are looking for ways to mitigate the disaster.

Migration officials representing eleven Latin American and Caribbean countries attending a two-day meeting in Quito, Ecuador, have signed a joint declaration to make it much easier for refugees fleeing from Venezuela to enter their countries.

Last month, Ecuador began refusing entry to Venezuelans who did not have valid passports after receiving a stream of 4,000 new migrants every day. However, that decision was later overturned by a court because it contravened a regional agreement on free travel.

The decision to require a valid passport would have shut out the vast majority of Venezuelan refugees, since getting a valid passport in Venezuela can cost from $1,000 to $5,000 in bribes demanded by Venezuelan government officials. Under the rules specified by the Quito declaration, refugees will be allowed to enter the eleven countries even if their travel documents have expired.

According to the Quito declaration:

5. Urge to the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to give priority to make the necessary measures for the timely provision of identity and travel documents of its citizens. Providing priority to identity cards, passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates and certificates of criminal records, as well as apostilles and legalization of documents required by its citizens. In view of the fact that the lack of such documents has generated: limitations on the right to free movement and mobility, difficulties in immigration procedures, impediments to extra-regional circulation, effects on social and economic integration in the host countries and, on the contrary, it has encouraged irregular migration.

6. In accordance with the national legislation of each country, to receive expired travel documents as identity documents of Venezuelan citizens for immigration purposes.

The eleven countries that signed the joint declaration are: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

There were thirteen countries meeting in Quito, but two of them did not sign the declaration. Venezuela’s left-wing ally Bolivia refused to sign, while the Dominican Republic was unable to do so immediately for administrative reasons. BBC and Reuters and Quito Declaration (PDF)

Venezuela’s Socialist president Maduro refuses humanitarian aid

The same group of 11 Latin American countries is urging Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro to “accept the cooperation of the governments of the region and international organizations,” who are expressing a willingness to provide humanitarian aid to help alleviate the migration crisis.

According to the signed Quito Declaration:

13. They reiterate their concern about the serious deterioration of the internal situation caused by the massive migration of Venezuelans, addressed during this meeting, and call for the opening of a humanitarian assistance mechanism that will allow decompressing the critical situation, providing immediate attention to the origin of the citizens affected.

14. The States agree to cooperate with each other to assist their fellow citizens and urge the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to accept the cooperation of the governments of the region and international organizations, in order to address the situation of their respective communities established in Venezuela.

Maduro’s close associate Diosdado Cabello, president of the Constituent National Assembly, called the offer “disgusting” and “shameful,” suggesting that the offer of humanitarian aid is unlikely to be accepted.

Maduro is calling the entire refugee crisis a hoax, claiming that the videos of Venezuelan’s fleeing on foot are a Hollywood style campaign designed by Americans to embarrass him. He says that most of the refugees that have left now want to come back

More than 90 percent are regretting it, of this group that isn’t more than 600,000 Venezuelans who have left the country in the last two years, according to confirmed, certified serious figures.

…

I sometimes feel pain for the Venezuelans who left. We will hug you again, come to Venezuela, come back to the homeland. We Venezuelans are here, with our big, big Bolivian hearts.

Actually, the real confirmed, certified serious figures are well into the millions.

Maduro has urged departed refugees to “stop cleaning toilets abroad” and return home. In August, he sent a plane to Peru to pick up around migrants who had been duped into abandoning Venezuela, but only 100 returned. More airlifts are being scheduled. Channel News Asia and Reuters and LA Times and VOA

Related articles:

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro, Quito, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Diosdado Cabello
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World View: Latin American Countries Open Borders to Refugees from Socialist Venezuela

Latin American countries open their borders to refugees from Socialist Venezuela

Venezuela’s Socialist president Maduro refuses humanitarian aid

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