Thread by @AlyssaHurst_

Since 2014, 5.5 million people facing hyperinflation, food & medicine shortages, violence & political unrest have fled Venezuela. Amidst this crisis & the pandemic, Colombia, Ecuador & Peru have struggled to maintain open policies. bit.ly/CMSNY21 1/8 #MigrationKorbelDU

Because of Colombia's close proximity, it is currently receiving the most Venezuelan migrants (31%). Peru is next (18%), followed by Ecuador & Chile (8%), and Brazil (5%) In Colombia alone, this amounts to nearly 2 million people. bit.ly/WilsonCenter21 2/8 #MigrationData

Each of these countries has adopted the 1984 #CartagenaDeclaration, which expanded the definition of a refugee. In that spirit, all have practiced non-refoulement, but very few Venezuelan migrants have been granted refugee status. bit.ly/HRW21_Migration 3/8

Until 2021, only half of migrants in Colombia had legal status due to lack of visas and passports. This year, Colombia offered temporary protected status to Venezuelan migrants, & has benefited from doctors, teachers & engineers joining its workforce. bit.ly/NPR_ColombiaVe… 4/8

In 2019, Peru began a border crackdown, which required visas and passports to enter the country—something many Venezuelans couldn't access. What's more, in 2021, Ecuador and Peru began deploying troops to their shared border to stem migration. bit.ly/reliefweb21 5/8

COVID has increased tensions between Colombia and Venezuela. Many Venezuelans have tried to return only to be met with suspicion and immigration caps. Colombia also closed its borders in 2020, but has since reopened them, albeit with military support. bit.ly/TroopsColombia 6/8

This evolving situation has placed particular pressure on Venezuelan migrants. They have struggled to access protections and experienced xenophobic violence, poor conditions in informal border camps, lack of access to work and school, and more. 7/8 #HumanRights

This problem affects not just one country, but an entire region. That's why @hrw proposes a region-wide solution that helps distribute costs and physical space. It's important also to address the root causes of this migration crisis. Learn more: bit.ly/HRW21_Migration 8/8

@RebeccaGalemba