In contrast to the previously observed flow of Venezuelan nationals returning to their country due to dwindling opportunities and increased hardship brought about by the pandemic (see 12 August Venezuela update on this platform), evidence of a new wave of Venezuelans seeking to flee their homeland is growing. The Colombian Red Cross has reported that around three quarters of its interventions during September took place in the dangerous border areas and involved people leaving Venezuela.
According to the New Humanitarian, following the end of one of the region’s longest lockdowns on 1 September, the Colombian government is now predicting a fresh influx of up to 250,000 Venezuelans by the end of the year. Data obtained by UNHCR from Colombia’s immigration authority (Migración Colombia) showed that this year (up to Tuesday 13 October), 113,894 Venezuelans have returned to Venezuela from or through Colombia. The Director of Colombia’s immigration authority reported that as of 21 July, 90,000 Venezuelans had returned to their country from or through Colombia in more than 1,200 buses financed by the government of Colombia. UNHCR also reported that the number of Venezuelans stranded on the Colombian side of the border with the intention of returning to Venezuela continues to decrease. On 22 September, there were 719 Venezuelans seeking to return compared with 664 on 26 October.
In Venezueala’s prisons, the situation has rapidly deteriorated. According to Insight Crime, between March and August 2020, there were 162 deaths in prisons and 125 in police detention facilities, representing an increase from the 137 deaths recorded during the same period in 2019. The country has also released prisoners from several prisons. Between April and June, around 1,410 prisoners were released from the Carabobo, Miranda, Guarico, Falcon, and Portuguese prisons.
- The New Humanitarian, “Cameroon School Killings, Male Rape in Rohingya Camps, and 200 Migrant Deaths at Sea: The Cheat Sheet,” 30 October 2020, https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2020/10/30/cameroon-sexual-violence-asylum-yemen-venezuela-sudan-earthquake-cheat-sheet
- UNHCR, “Donor Update on UNHCR COVID-19 Response in Colombia – #14 (1-15 October 2020),” 26 October 2020, https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/donor-update-unhcr-covid-19-response-colombia-14-1-15-october-2020
- N. Plazas, “Más de 90,000 Venezolanos han Retornado a Venezuela Desde Colombia Durante la Pandemia,” France 24, 22 July 2020, https://www.france24.com/es/20200721-venezuela-migrantes-colombia-retorno-coronavirus
- Insight Crime, “Deaths Inside Venezuelan Prisons Doubled During Pandemic,” 10 September 2020, https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/deaths-inside-venezuelan-prisons-doubled-during-pandemic/
- Una Ventana de Libertad, “Nota de Prensa: Al Menos 1,410 Reclusos Han Sido Puestos en Libertad Desde el Inicio de la Cuarentena en Venezuela,” 15 June 2020, http://unaventanaalalibertad.org/nota-de-prensa-uval/al-menos-1-410-reclusos-han-sido-puestos-en-libertad-desde-el-inicio-de-la-cuarentena-en-venezuela/
