BOGOTA.- The Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs of ColombiaLuis Gilberto Murillo, reported that the government of his country is preparing to begin a process of regularization of 600,000 migrantsthe majority of Venezuelan nationality.
“We have 600,000 migrantsthe vast majority Venezuelanswho require regularization, who have a vocation to stay in the country,” Murillo said in statements to journalists in Quibdó, capital of the Department of Chocó.
The Colombian minister indicated that with the regularization, some 350,000 people will be able to legally reunify with their families.
“In addition, 250,000 more will receive a special work permit, a work visa that allows them to be regularized in Colombiaintegrate into Colombian society and have a route that allows them to participate with dignity, as it should be, in this society,” said Murillo.
He remembered that Colombia has already regularized 2.3 million Venezuelans who “are making their lives” in the South American country.
Recently the Colombian media reported that the government was preparing a resolution that would toughen the entry, transit and permanence requirements of Venezuelan citizens. As of its entry into force, Colombia would begin to request a valid passport from Venezuelans.
The new resolution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will repeal a previous one dating back to 2022 that allowed Venezuelan citizens to enter Colombia with expired passport.
However, days later, the president Gustavo Petro He ruled out that his government is going to ask Venezuelan citizens for a valid passport as a requirement to enter, transit and/or remain in the country.
“This is not true. My government will not require passports from Venezuelan migrants,” Petro wrote on his X account.
Petro’s writing came after it became known that the announcement of the resolution provoked reactions from organizations that provide humanitarian aid to migrants and human rights organizations.
“A passport costs in Venezuela the equivalent of 58 minimum wages. It is a mistake to ask Venezuelan migrants to have a valid passport in these circumstances. That would not stop the migratory flow, but rather it would place them in situations of greater vulnerability,” said Rafael Uzcátegui, sociologist and director of the Venezuelan Peace Laboratory, eltiempo.com reported.
Uzcátegui recalled that Venezuelan migrants “must be considered suitable for refuge, as suggested by a recent IACHR report.”
Furthermore, Juanita Goebertus, director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, said that the implementation of the resolution “would be a serious setback,” since “more than 90% of Venezuelans who cross the (Darién) jungle They don’t have a valid passport.” She highlighted that “obtaining a passport is difficult and extremely expensive for the vast majority of Venezuelans.”
Currently, Colombia is the country that welcomes the most Venezuelan migrants with about 2.8 million. According to UN data, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left their country fleeing the economic, humanitarian, social and political crisis. Most are found in Latin American countries.
Source: With information from NTN24 / eltiempo.com
