Once Refuge, Now Silence: Colombia’s Diminishing Support for Venezuelan Migrants

A sign at the Colombian-Venezuelan border, translated, reads: “Colombia and Venezuela United Forever. Welcome to Colombia.” Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In just a few years, Colombia has gone from leading migration initiatives to dismantling nearly every support it once had for its 2.8 million Venezuelan migrants.

Columbia’s shift is especially striking considering its initial response to the Venezuelan crisis. Colombia’s former president, Iván Duque, showed his welcoming acceptance of Venezuelans by introducing initiatives to ease their economic and social integration into Colombia. His first initiative was in 2021 for the Estatuto Temporal de Protección de Migrantes Venezolanos (ETPV), which granted legal status and work permits to Venezuelan migrants for ten years and created opportunities for residency. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who previously lacked documentation could then reside in the country for at least a decade and have access to benefits such as identification documents, healthcare, and education. Apart from ETPV, Colombia also created a team responsible for organizing the government’s Venezuelan response, included Venezuelans in their development plans, and passed the Integral Migratory Law, which established guidelines for migratory policy in Colombia. These initiatives were key to the socioeconomic integration of Venezuelans and subsequently, their well-being in Colombia.

Colombia’s generosity towards migrants from its neighboring country stems from their intertwined history. In the 1980s, Colombia was experiencing one of its worst periods of violence and instability due to drug cartels and guerrilla warfare. The internal war caused more than seven million people to flee Colombia, with hundreds of thousands gravitating towards Venezuela’s oil-booming economy. Venezuelans embraced the Colombian migrants, having shared the same roots, rulers, and history when the countries were once under the same name of Gran Colombia. Up until 2015, when the large-scale Venezuelan migration began, Colombia was sending more migrants to Venezuela due to ongoing internal conflicts. The Venezuelan government used their high oil revenues to fund social programs, which granted Colombian migrants residency and gave them access to free housing and health care. 

However, in the past year, the Colombian government has threatened this solidarity. Colombia’s new president, Gustavo Petro, has dissolved many of the initiatives once aimed at helping Venezuelan migrants. Petro removed the team responsible for overseeing migration management and allowed the ETPV program to fall apart. Consequently, obtaining a stable job is an increasingly significant problem for Venezuelan immigrants, as they face exploitation and abuse in informal employment. The rising cost of living and lack of accessible housing have only compounded the issues facing Venezuelans, causing re-migration to other countries in search of better opportunities. 

Culturally, the tide is turning as well. Colombians who once welcomed Venezuelans into their homes now turn them away. Many blame Venezuelans for Colombia’s lowered wages and worsening working conditions. Moreover, Colombian media paint migrants as violent additions to a worsening crime rate already being committed by Colombians. However, Venezuelan migrants commit substantially fewer crimes than individuals who are native born compared to their share in the overall population. Venezuelan migrants and refugees also contributed to a $529.1 million USD economic impact in Colombia in 2022, yet more than half of Colombians believe migrants have taken more than they contribute. In October 2020, 80 percent of Colombians disapproved of their government’s handling of the Venezuelan crisis. In areas with large Venezuelan concentrations, this shift in perspective has coincided with an increase in support for right-wing political parties and growing opposition to Venezuelan migrants. 

Colombia’s actions place it in a group of countries that have begun to restrict once-permitted Venezuelan immigration, joining the likes of the United States, Chile, and Peru. Within days of President Donald Trump taking office in the United States, his administration moved to dismiss two major legal pathways for Venezuelan migrants: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole. These initiatives once allowed 350,000 Venezuelans to work legally in the United States and protected them from deportation. Since their removal, Venezuelans have faced deportation back to their country, which is facing an economic and political crisis. Similarly, in 2021, Chile enacted a new migration law that allows individuals seeking legal status to be deported solely on administrative grounds. In other words, many Venezuelans have been deported exclusively based on how they entered the country, despite never being charged with a crime. Likewise, Peru now requires a specialized visa for entry despite previously granting Venezuelans temporary stay permits. As a direct consequence of the new implementation, Peru reported over 1,900 cases of deportation and compulsory exit, a significant number compared to Peru’s first large group deportation of forty Venezuelan migrants. 

The rise of restrictions on Venezuelan migrants is outrageous and unjust. To return to Venezuela is to face a country where 87 percent of households live in poverty, inflation is expected to reach 150 percent, and the president is tightening his grip on absolute power. While Colombia grows concerned about a supposed arrival of crime that comes with Venezuelan immigration, it should not justify the removal of the necessary resources that millions of Venezuelans need in order to survive. 

Colombia’s nativist turn echoes a global shift in attitudes toward migration, ignoring individuals such as Venezuelans coming from countries in which they cannot afford to survive. One way to measure this pattern is the Migrant Acceptance Index, which declined from 5.34 to 5.21 between 2016 and 2019 worldwide. Many of the countries that have contributed to this decline have been on the receiving end of the mass emigration of Venezuelans. Scores have decreased by two full points in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, the main receivers of Venezuelan migrants. Additionally, due to the rise of right-wing and nativist parties, many European countries saw a significant decrease in their scores between 2016 and 2019. This downward trend has likely accelerated since 2019 due to the combination of democratic backsliding, economic downturns, and anti-immigrant rhetoric in politics globally. 

The concerning refusal of Venezuelan migrants is a reflection of the broader global challenge facing migration, which is the trend toward punitive policies. Venezuelan migrants are not the only ones being turned away at borders and losing their legal statuses. Now that it has been more than two and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine, many European countries are becoming stricter on who they accept from the war. For example, Norway announced it will stop granting automatic asylum for Ukrainian refugees. Similarly, the United Kingdom has stopped accepting asylum claims from Syrian refugees after Syria’s president was removed from power. If countries continue to tighten their borders and remove policies that once supported migrants, it will only deepen the divide between individuals who are well-off in their society and individuals who are left to suffer in their own countries. To address this issue, there must be an increase in empathy, cooperation, and the recognition of the value migrants bring to society.

Although Colombian media depict Venezuelan migrants critically, most Colombians’ negative perceptions come from migrants appearing to be a threat to their economy. Venezuelans have made a $150 million contribution in Colombian tax revenue in 2019, but these benefits are not necessarily seen at the local community level. Neighborhoods are filled with stories of individual Colombians losing their jobs or having their wages cut, and petty crime is reported more in areas with many immigrants. However, Colombians’ views on Venezuelan migration do not necessarily translate to greater immigration restrictions. In a study done examining 317 Colombian families, 65 percent agreed that Venezuelan migrants should still have access to public services, education, and employment opportunities. Rather, many blame employers or the government for the lack of job opportunities. Colombians want Venezuelans to have the same basic services, just not at their expense. Many desire a fairer distribution of resources or an increase in resources for everyone, rather than taking away from migrants. 

Ultimately, Colombia’s negative perception of Venezuelan migrants is the fault of political scapegoating. Instead of Colombian politicians choosing to focus on how they can fix their economic problems, they place blame on Venezuelans. By targeting Venezuelans, politicians create a sense of unity among Colombians, effectively gaining their support. In 2021, Bogota’s mayor, Claudia Lopez, accused Venezuelan migrants of violence and criminality. She blamed the government by saying, “They offer everything to Venezuelans, what guarantees are left for Colombians?” Thus, politicians use harmful media coverage and Colombians’ economic strain to their advantage to ignore real problems and shift the blame to a vulnerable group. If Colombian politicians truly cared about the increasing violence committed by Venezuelans, they would recognize that granting migrants and refugees formal labor market access can reduce crime among that population. 

This pattern of blaming vulnerable populations for entrenched societal problems is not unique to Colombia, but it is especially concerning given the history of solidarity between the two countries. Colombia’s shift from welcoming to punishing Venezuelans is a moral and political failure that is rooted in economic fear and the use of migrants as a political distraction. Colombian elites will continue to blame Venezuelan migrants for their problems because taking away their resources is easier than focusing on the structural reforms and investments the country truly needs. Rather than dismissing the progress of past policies, Colombia has the opportunity to once again lead by example and embrace inclusive strategies that see Venezuelan migrants as contributors instead of burdens. This change will never come unless Colombian politicians and media conglomerates recognize the value that Venezuelans bring instead of fanning the flames of fear and division. 

Jazzlee Cerritos (CC ‘28) is a staff writer for CPR from Murfreesboro, TN. She is studying political science and sociology and is interested in Latin American politics, struggling economies, and immigration policies.