Venezuela situation update

Large numbers of Venezuelans continued to leave in October, with Colombia reporting a net increase of 3,600 Venezuelans arrivals per day and a total estimated population in the country of over 470,000 persons.

The number of asylum claims lodged by Venezuelan nationals globally between 2014 and 2017 has now exceeded 100,000, over half of which filed this year alone. It is expected that this number will continue to grow.

The primary receiving countries of Venezuelan asylum seekers in the region between 2014 and 2017 are: USA: 46,000, Brazil: 18,400, Peru: 9,500; Costa Rica: 3,300 and Panama: 3,000.

POPULATION OF CONCERN

• In Brazil, over 13,600 asylum applications have been lodged in 2017 and 1,680 temporary residence permits issued. It is estimated that between 20,000 to 30,000 Venezuelans currently live in Brazil.
• In Colombia, over 67,000 Venezuelans have applied for the Special Stay Permit (PEP), and over 1 million for the Border Mobility Card. Some 500 asylum cases have been registered since 2014,
• More than 62,000 Venezuelans are estimated to be living in Ecuador, of whom some 40% have obtained temporary residence permits. Over 1,500 Venezuelans have applied for asylum in the country.
• At least 60,000 Venezuelans are estimated to be residing in the Southern Caribbean. Some 370 have registered as asylum seekers in Trinidad and Tobago since 2014; followed by Curacao with 70 and Aruba, with around a dozen.  Some 81,000 Venezuelan nationals are believed to have entered Peru between January and July 2017, 60% through Tumbes, at the northern border. In 2017, over 6,000 Venezuelans have lodged asylum claims and over 11,000 have received temporary residence permits (PTP).

CONTEXT INFORMATION

Following the regional elections in Venezuela on 15 October 2017, in which President Maduro’s party won 17 of the 23 state governorships, the country’s divisions continued to deepen. The opposition also continued to fragment, as four out of five of the opposition Governors-elect agreed to be sworn in by the National Constituent Assembly, as required by President Maduro, despite calls not to do so by the opposition coalition. Even though there are indications of a possible resumption of negotiations between the government and opposition, the political situation remains fragile. Economic difficulties continue to strain access to basic goods, and people continue to struggle with food and medical shortages. CARITAS reported, based on a recent study, that in four Venezuelan states five (5) to six (6) children die from malnutrition every week Through ongoing profiling exercises, UNHCR continues to identify Venezuelans in host countries in the region who fear that they will be in danger of harm should they return to Venezuela, due to insecurity or violence, or that they will be unable to access sufficient food and medicines.

Original source: UNHCR
Published on 15 November 2017