Venezuela: Association Urges Colombia, Brazil, Mexico to Expedite Asylum for Forced Migrants
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- An association director urged Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico to formally recognize the Venezuelan exodus as forced migration due to political persecution and human rights violations.
- He highlighted the extreme legal vulnerability of asylum seekers, with administrative processes dragging on for years without resolution, leaving them exposed to risks even outside Venezuela.
- The call to action came during an international migration forum in New York, where the director cited the case of two activists attacked in Bogotá as an example of inadequate protection.
From the perspective of El Nacional (Venezuela):
Hablar de migración forzada implica reconocer que en numerosos casos las personas no migran por elección, sino como consecuencia de contextos de persecución, violencia política, deterioro institucional y violaciones sistemáticas a los derechos humanos.
The Venezuelan exodus, a crisis born from political persecution and systematic human rights violations, demands urgent and formal recognition from our neighbors. Charbel Najm, director of Alianza por Venezuela, has rightly called on Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico to acknowledge this reality, moving beyond mere administrative hurdles.
The "legal vulnerability" faced by Venezuelan asylum seekers is not just a bureaucratic inconvenience; it's a dangerous gap in protection. When administrative processes for asylum stretch for years without resolution, as Najm pointed out, it leaves individuals fleeing persecution exposed to real threats. The case of activists Yendri Velásquez and Luis Peche, who survived a shooting in Bogotá and whose asylum requests remain unaddressed for six months, tragically illustrates this failure.
La demora institucional no es solo un fallo burocrático, sino una falta de protección que deja a los perseguidos políticos expuestos a riesgos reales, incluso fuera de las fronteras de su país de origen.
While we acknowledge the integration efforts by Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, as noted at the International Migration Review Forum in New York, these efforts must be underpinned by agile and sensitive protection systems. International protection cannot be an endless, bureaucratic maze for those facing concrete threats. Venezuela's crisis is a stark example of forced migration, and our regional partners must act with the urgency and humanity this situation demands, prioritizing democracy and human rights in their policies.
La protección internacional no puede convertirse en un proceso interminable para quienes enfrentamos amenazas concretas.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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