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1 1 (February 15, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govycd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informir g t e legi alive d ~ to since 1914 Updated February 15, 2019 The Venezuela Regional Migration Crisis The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Venezuela has elevated congressional concerns about the country, which remains in a deep political and economic crisis under the authoritarian rule of President Nicolis Maduro; on January 23, 2019, President Trump recognized the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, Juan Guaid6, as the country's interim president and ceased to recognize the Maduro regime. Before the most recent political upheaval began in January 2019, Venezuelans were already facing severe shortages of food and medicine (in part due to corruption), and lack of access to social services. Political persecution and the impact of hyperinflation (the highest in the world) with loss of income and oppressive poverty also contributed to a dire situation. Maduro has refused to accept most offers of international humanitarian assistance. As conditions in the country have become progressively worse, increasing numbers of Venezuelans continue to leave, and neighboring countries, particularly Colombia, are straining to absorb a population that is often malnourished and in poor health. The spread of previously eradicated diseases, such as measles, is also a major regional concern. (Also see CRS Insight INi 1024, Venezuela: U.S. Recognizes Interim Government, and CRS Report R44841, Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations.) Figure I. Venezuelan Migrants and Asylum Seekers: Flows to the Region and Beyond Source: CRS. By the end of 2018, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other experts estimated that more than 3 million Venezuelans (one in ten) had left the country with the vast majority remaining in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Although UNHCR has asserted that most displaced Venezuelans are not considered refugees, a significant number are needing humanitarian assistance, international protection, and opportunities to regularize their status. UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimate that by the end of 2019, the number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants could reach over 5.3 million. Responses to the Venezuelan arrivals vary by country and continue to evolve with events on the ground. While more than half of Venezuelan migrants have stayed in Colombia, significant numbers have fled to Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, and the southern Caribbean. See Figure 1. Colombia is dealing with its own political transition and other pressures. Although it has begun to emerge from decades of civil conflict, Colombia faces ongoing violence by armed groups. The Colombia- Venezuela border covers 1,378 miles and has seven official border crossing points. Clicuta is the main reception point for Venezuelan migrants entering Colombia. There are hundreds of unofficial points of entry on the border, which make it impossible to track all arrivals. The Colombian government estimates that there are 1 million Venezuelans throughout the country, but the actual figure is unknown. Taken as a percentage of their overall population, Venezuelan arrivals have significantly affected small countries and territories. Trinidad and Tobago, a twin- island country with 1.4 million people, estimated in late 2018 that it was hosting 60,000 Venezuelans, which increased its overall population by more than 4%. Between September 2014 and 2018, roughly 400,000 Venezuelans in the region and beyond (to the United States, Canada, Spain, and elsewhere) applied for political asylum (specific legal protection for which most migrants do not qualify.) Host countries have been willing to register some Venezuelan migrants and by October 2018 had granted 960,000 Venezuelan arrivals alternative legal forms of stay (temporary legal residence with access to social services, and sometimes work, for up to two years.) The Venezuelan government has made it increasingly difficult for Venezuelans to obtain a valid passport and therefore legal status outside the country. Humanitarian experts are most concerned about the roughly 60% of Venezuelans in neighboring countries who lack identification documents, which makes them vulnerable to arrest and deportation by governments and to abuse by criminal groups, including human traffickers. Young children, indigenous communities, pregnant women, and the elderly are particularly at risk. ittps://crsreports.congress go

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