BOGOTA.- According to Migration data Colombia, 2,875,743 Venezuelans live in the country. The director of this instance, Carlos García, said this Monday, December 18, that, in 2023, more than half a million Temporary Protection Permits (PPT) were issued for these migrants.
So far, 2,306. 810 Venezuelans have authorized PPTs.
“Thanks to this Permit, Venezuelan citizens regularize their immigration status in Colombia, which opens up the possibility of registering for services such as health, education, opening bank accounts, purchasing goods, signing work and rental contracts, among others. that guarantee their rights in the country. This is why the PPT is considered the key to integration that opens many doors,” said the Migration Office on the occasion of International Migrants Day.
Migration Colombia warned, at the same time, that the PPT could be lost if citizen duties are not fulfilled.
“The migration phenomenon cannot disappear, it was born with humanity,” said the director of Migration Colombia, Carlos García, at a press conference. He maintained that the goal for 2024 is to “regularize the entire foreign population that has been living in Colombia for years irregularly.”
With more than 2.8 million Venezuelans, Colombia is the first receiving country for these migrants. Peru follows (1,542,004).
The figures offered by the Colombian government contrast with the statements given by the dictator Nicolás Maduro, who, seeking to improve his image, indicated in recent months that many Venezuelans want to return to their country.
According to Maduro’s intervention, migrants from Venezuela have been victims of slavery and labor exploitation in countries. “Many of them were in absolute desperation (…) because most of them have had to suffer humiliation, humiliation, slave labor, fraud, mistreatment and, in desperation, they have gone to consulates and embassies. We have a very long list,” he said he.
Colombia border rules
In the report released on December 18, Migration Colombia indicated that in 2023 the number of documents that authorize transit in the border area between Colombia and Venezuela.
At this point, the office noted that “these documents are valid for the border area and not for entering the rest of the country.”
On the other hand, Migration Colombia reported the articulation of the Comprehensive Care and Accompaniment Plan for Darien (PIAAD), through which it seeks to “provide a comprehensive and coordinated response to the needs of the communities in the Urabá Antioqueño region, a border area with Darién in Panama. We implement a Contingency Plan in municipalities such as Acandí, Necoclí, Turbo and the township of Capurganá”.
The goal, the office said, is to address the termination of Title 42 by the United States.
@snederr
Source: Colombia Migration
