Peruvian minister anticipates agreements to deport undocumented Venezuelans by sea

Peru’s government plans to sign agreements with Venezuela to deport undocumented Venezuelan migrants by ship, Interior Minister César Astudillo told a parliamentary defense committee on Monday.

Astudillo said Peru had expelled 1,635 Venezuelan migrants in irregular status “with tremendous effort.” He added that the number would increase substantially if the planned maritime agreements with Venezuela go ahead.

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with tremendous effort, we have managed to expel 1,635 irregular Venezuelan migrants.

Peru hosts about 1.6 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees, making it home to the second-largest Venezuelan community abroad, according to the article. Astudillo said the Venezuelan population in Peru exceeds the country’s Aymara population.

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This will increase substantially with the agreements we will have with Venezuela to send them by ship, and a good number of them. I hope things work out that way.

“Not all of them are criminals. There are people who work, but we have a large number of criminals and vicious offenders, those who cut off heads and fingers, walking around here in the streets,” he said. He added that security forces conduct operations every day to pursue them.

The article says most Venezuelans living in Peru have irregular status because difficulty finding formal employment prevents them from obtaining resident visas. Many also face problems renewing special visas issued during earlier regularization programs.

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Not all of them are criminals. There are people who work, but we have a large number of criminals and vicious offenders, those who cut off heads and fingers, walking around here in the streets. We are after them. Every day we conduct operations in the streets.