The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is «concerned» about the collateral effects that the sudden adoption of new migration policies by the United States may have on Venezuelan migrants, as it could lead to thousands of people being trapped on their way north or «turning back».
Deputy High Commissioner Gillian Triggs thanked in an interview to Europa Press the «generosity» that the United States has always shown in matters of reception, for example by opening its doors to Syrian or Ukrainian refugees, but also acknowledged that the agency is «very concerned» about the fact that some restrictions applied during the worst moments of the COVID-19 pandemic will be maintained.
Joe Biden’s Administration announced in the middle of this month a plan to favor the «legal and orderly» entry of Venezuelans, under which the US will accept the arrival of 24,000 migrants and will return to Mexico all those who attempt to cross the border irregularly.
There is a possibility that many will «turn back» because «now they know they have no chance» of crossing the southern US border, according to Triggs, who fears that they may even be forced to cross the Darien Gap, a difficult-to-access jungle area between Panama and Colombia, in the opposite direction. «I can’t even imagine what it must be like to go through it again,» he said.
The head of UNHCR, who attended the Princess of Asturias awards ceremony in Oviedo, warned that the migration crisis in Venezuela is far from over. «In the short and medium term, these people will not return to Venezuela», from where they fled in search of protection or simply «better economic opportunities» and basic services», she added.
The UN estimates that there are more than 7.1 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants worldwide, of which more than 80 percent are being hosted in 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Triggs highlighted in particular the «outstanding example» of Colombia, with measures such as the extension of the validity of Venezuelan passports for a period of up to ten years.
Migrants, Triggs said, must be able to «rebuild their lives» wherever they are, for which they always need an «opportunity» and to feel «welcome».
