18 October (Reuters) – US and Mexican authorities recently announced It’s a new policy that will send Venezuelans who cross the US land border back to Mexico, but will allow up to 24,000 people from the country to apply for humanitarian aid to the US by air.
As a result of the new policy, thousands of Venezuelans believed to be on their way to the United States were stranded between the two countries in a year when a record number of Venezuelans crossed the US border.
WHY HAVE THE NEW MEASURES BEEN IMPLEMENTED?
measures It partially responded to political pressure on US President Joe Biden to block a record number of illegal crossings on the Mexico-US border. Venezuelans have been one of the largest groups of immigrants to participate in such crossings, in part because Washington granted temporary protection status to those on US soil last year. Deporting Venezuelans is more complicated than immigrants of other nationalities because the two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2019, making it difficult to organize deportation flights.
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More than 150,000 Venezuelans were arrested at the US-Mexico border between October 2021 and August 2022, up from about 48,000 in fiscal 2021, according to US government data. More than 33,000 Venezuelan individuals were encountered at the US-Mexico border in September, according to US government data.
WHAT HAPPENS TO VENEZUELS ON THE TRANSITION TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
Those in transit may attempt to reach the United States, although they are almost certain to be sent back to Mexico. Mexican authorities have so far given most of these people no more than two weeks to leave the country. It is unclear where Venezuelans waiting in Mexico will stay, as Mexico’s migrant housing system is often overwhelmed.
Some may return to Venezuela, while others may settle in different Latin American countries where Venezuelan immigrants face discrimination, limited job opportunities and restrictions on their immigration status in some cases.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), half of the Venezuelan refugee and migrant population in Latin America and the Caribbean cannot afford three meals a day and lack access to housing, forcing many to resort to sex work or begging.
WHO CAN APPLY TO THE NEW USA PROGRAM?
Venezuelans who meet the US requirements are eligible to apply for the recently announced US program. Requirements include having a US-based sponsor and holding a valid passport. The cost of a passport in Venezuela is $200, almost ten times the country’s minimum wage.
According to the Observatory for Social Research, a rights group, only 1% of the 1,591 immigrants who left Venezuela between June and August carried passports.
WHAT TRIGGED THE EXIT FROM VENEZUELAN?
Under the late President Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013, the country with the world’s largest oil reserves has weathered corruption and inflation.
Then in 2014, the Venezuelan economy collapsed as living conditions worsened as global oil prices fell and tight price controls created widespread shortages. As products began to disappear from store shelves, the black market flourished with products ranging from cooking oil to cornmeal.
In 2018, inflation in Venezuela exceeded 1 million percent. Medicines were not available for conditions ranging from headache to cancer.
WHY ARE VENEZUELS STILL IMMIGRATION?
Despite some improvements after the economy opened in 2019, including an informal dollarization, most Venezuelans still struggle to buy essential goods and services. Efforts by the government of Chávez’s successor Nicolas Maduro to ease economic restraints alleviated famines and fueled consumption in high-income segments, but resulted in the vast majority of the population earning wages well below the cost of living.
While the minimum wage in the OPEC member state was around $15 a month, a basket of goods for a family of five at the end of September cost around $370 per month, according to the non-governmental Venezuelan Financial Observatory.
Even in the commerce and service sector of relatively wealthy Caracas, workers earn an average of only $130 a month. Meanwhile, in the public sector, with about 2.2 million employees, the average monthly salary is around $20 to $30.
Economists say at least 30% of the population is not benefiting from the new economic measures.
Remittances from relatives in the United States or elsewhere to Venezuelans are helpful, but insufficient for many. According to Caracas-based consultancy Anova, only a quarter of Venezuelan families receive referrals, which average just $70 a month.
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Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas and Sarah Kinosian in Mexico City Editing by Matthew Lewis
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