‘We hope other countries will follow’: Colombia warms welcome for migrants

The Explainer

For years, nations around the world have wrestled with how to handle surges in migrants and asylum-seekers. Colombia’s decision to offer 10-year temporary legal status to 1.7 million Venezuelans who fled economic and humanitarian crises is being hailed as a historic move. Some hope it will set an example for the region: After decades of watching its own population flee due to internal conflict, Colombia is giving back to neighbors.

What is Colombia offering?

Last week, Colombia announced that Venezuelan migrants who entered the country before Jan. 31, 2021 can legally stay for a decade if they register with authorities. The plan will allow Venezuelans to work legally and gain access to government services, like health care and education, largely pulling them out of the shadows.

The government says the initiative is both practical for Colombia and necessary for its neighbors suffering a prolonged humanitarian crisis. President Iván Duque said it would help the government identify the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants, design better social policies, efficiently track down anyone who violates the law, and hopefully have an expanded workforce to rebuild the economy once the pandemic settles down.

“We hope other countries will follow our example,” he said in announcing the move.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the country have some kind of temporary visa, which they will no longer have to renew in order to extend their stay.

Why are there so many Venezuelans in Colombia in the first place?

Venezuela is experiencing multiple crises under President Nicolás Maduro, with citizens facing criminal and state violence, repression of political expression, shortages of essential foods, economic insecurity, and lack of access to medicine and essential services. An estimated 5.4 million Venezuelans have fled the country, making it one of the largest crises of displacement in the world.

Colombia and Venezuela share a border, which has made it a destination for nearly 40% of all Venezuelan migrants and refugees in South America. More than half of the estimated 1.7 million Venezuelans in Colombia don’t have legal status.

Many Colombians are frustrated with the decision – especially coming from a conservative president who pledged a hard line against the Venezuelan government. A January Gallup Poll found that 67% of Colombians have an unfavorable opinion of Venezuelan migrants, and 80% responded that they were not in favor of how the Colombian government managed migration from Venezuela. Many Colombians blame Venezuelan migrants for upticks in crime, and some believe offering temporary legal status will up competition for jobs and social services at a particularly challenging time.

Why would Colombia want to do this?

Colombia is no stranger to conflict and migration. It endured nearly 60 years of internal armed conflict that displaced millions, and at least 1 million Colombians fled to neighboring Venezuela in the 1980s and ’90s. Many view the move as returning a historic favor, since neighbors took in Colombia’s most vulnerable in their time of need.

But it’s also pragmatic: Colombia’s attempts at halting the inflow of Venezuelan migrants hasn’t borne fruit, despite periodic border closures, and diplomatic moves like recognizing Venezuela’s opposition government and refusing to reinitiate bilateral relations with Mr. Maduro.

The president’s plan has been praised by politicians, academics, and international humanitarian groups, despite its unpopularity among most Colombians. A migrant with legal status is harder for criminal groups, employers, or landlords to exploit, experts argue. Colombia will gain more control over policy planning, national security, and will likely win fiscally, too.

And the move could serve as an example for the region, where nations like Peru, Chile, and Ecuador are meeting the vast number of Venezuelans crossing their borders with a mish-mash of ad hoc policies, and where the pandemic frequently overshadows immigration governance.

The United Nations refugee agency praised the decision, noting that the body is willing to contribute logistical and financial aid in implementing the ambitious program.

Offering protected status is “a humanitarian gesture of an unprecedented scale in the region – and the entire world,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “This initiative is an extraordinary example of humanity, commitment towards human rights, and pragmatism.”