King of Spain praises Colombia for the solidarity shown to Venezuelan migrants

More than 1.8 million Venezuelans have migrated to Colombia in search of better opportunities and a future

Venezuelan citizens in recent years have seen the need to migrate to other nations in search of better opportunities, and Colombia has been one of the main countries that has welcomed them. For this reason, King Felipe VI of Spain praised the people of New Granada.

The monarch, this Thursday, during his visit to Colombia for the 2021 World Congress of Jurists, stressed that that country is an "example of humanity at a time when most countries close their doors to migrants."

He also said that the country has shown its solidarity with Venezuelans, who have suffered from the greatest migratory crisis in the American continent and the world. It is estimated that Colombia has provided care to more than 1.8 million Venezuelans.

In response, President Iván Duque thanked King Felipe VI and Spain for activating the Temporary Protection Statute through which socioeconomic support is given to Venezuelan migrants, and grants them identification and social benefits for ten years.

More than 5 million Venezuelans around the world

According to the Organization of American States (OAS) 5.6 million Venezuelans have had to leave their country due to political instability and the economic crisis, this number is equivalent to 18% of the Venezuelan population.

Experts on migration issues have pointed out that the exodus of Venezuelans will not stop in the short term, due to the economic crisis and the political situation in the nation, where there is high polarization and a regime that has deepened inequalities.

In August, the OAS classified Venezuelan migration as an "unprecedented event in the region," and asserted that in the coming months it is likely that the number of Venezuelans leaving their country will reach 7 million.

Likewise, it has pointed out that Venezuelans are distributed in Colombia with a greater number of migrants and refugees, Peru, the United States, Chile and Ecuador.

Specialists assure that if the Covid-19 pandemic had not arrived, the number of Venezuelan migrants would be greater, since the world has extensive restrictions on mobilization, in addition to the fact that Venezuela was one of the countries that took measures to ban flights too few days after the pandemic was declared in March.

In fact, it was in November 2020 when the South American nation began allowing the entry of travelers from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Russia, Panama and Turkey.

Why are Venezuelans leaving their country?

The issue of Venezuelan migration has been debated in various forums, and analyzed by many experts and opinion leaders, and they conclude that there are various reasons why Venezuelans leave their country, but they agree that the main reason is caused by political measures and social policies taken by the government of Nicolás Maduro.

They point to at least 5 main reasons: complex humanitarian emergency, widespread violence, human rights violations, collapse of public services, and economic collapse.

On the economic side, analysts show that the country has suffered the highest hyperinflation in its history since 2017, which has caused wages to be found in the subsoil, in addition to this, this has destroyed the productive capacities of the nation, a nation that was once classified as the "Dubai" of America.

Currently, the minimum wage is $1.73, equivalent to seven bolivars, an amount that exceeds the poverty line, which is between $1 and $2 according to the United Nations. This has led Venezuelan citizens to have limits on their development opportunities in the future, so they decide to leave their lands.

On the other hand, the South American nation adds an 83.5% drop in its gross domestic product since 2014 and registered a 2,616% price increase between June 2020 and June 2021.

Although the Venezuelan exodus has been practically driven by the economic policies of Nicolás Maduro, the opposition has also had its share of responsibility, say experts, such as the political scientist Pablo Andrés Quintero.

He says that many Venezuelans left the country due to "emotional and psychological fatigue generated by the political conflict between the opposition and Chavismo, what psychologists call learned hopelessness".

He also affirms that the opposition has failed in its political offers, in addition to not maintaining unity with the regime. On the other hand, there is Juan Guaidó, recognized as interim president by 50 countries, but who cannot de facto control power.

In his opinion, the opposition makes promises to put an end to the political situation, but does not fulfill them, which produces apathy in the people, who end up choosing to leave the country and start a new life in other latitudes.