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Ecuador will require Venezuelans to present their passport to enter the country
Posted On 17 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
Ecuador will demand from Venezuela on Saturday, August 18, the presentation of the passport as a requirement to enter Ecuadorian territory, Interior Minister Mauro Toscanini said Thursday. The information was ratified by the Foreign Ministry of Ecuador.
“With the aim of guaranteeing both the security of Venezuelan citizens and the security of our territory (…), from this Saturday next will require that all persons entering Ecuador must submit their passport,” said Toscanini at the time of exhorting Venezuela to take measures so that its citizens do not have to migrate to other countries.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the identity cards they carry when entering the Ecuadorian territory do not have the necessary assurances for identification in the type of readers established by the Ecuadorian migratory system, so it is not possible to validate their authenticity. Some show damage or deterioration, others lack bar codes or chips, so they are considered highly falsifiable documents”
“We heard the delicate situation of the Venezuelan brothers. They were heartbreaking testimonies that cannot be ignored. Therefore, all the social services we provide to Ecuadorians will be extended to those who migrate to this country, “Toscanini said at the Carondelet Palace, after a meeting with President Lenin Moreno and Venezuelan citizens at risk of human mobility.
During his speech, Moreno said that Ecuador is a country with difficulties but Venezuelan citizens will have access to all social services.
They travel without a passport
Obtaining a passport is very complicated for Venezuelans due to the lack of material and the bureaucratic procedures that can delay the delivery of the document for months. Until now, Venezuelans only needed to present their identity card at the points of entry, where they received an Andean letter that allowed them to circulate freely throughout Ecuadorian territory.
The official explained that the measure is aimed at “guaranteeing both the safety of Venezuelans and our territory, and is in line with their frontal fight against crimes such as human trafficking and trafficking.”
The government has indicated that in recent weeks some 4,500 Venezuelans have entered the country through the International Bridge of Rumichaca, on the border with Colombia, so last week declared a humanitarian emergency in three provinces of the country.
For its part, the Ombudsman, upon hearing of the Government’s decision, issued a tweet urging the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Ministry to desist from the measure of demanding a passport and exhorted to comply with the Constitution, the Organic Mobility Law and international human rights instruments.
The professor of International Law at the University of Guayaquil, Carlos Estarellas, pointed out that this is a control measure that the Ecuadorian State can implement and reminded that a visa is not required but a passport.
The majority of Venezuelans arriving in Ecuador, fleeing from hyperinflation and the shortage of food and medicines, remain in the country for a few weeks with the intention of raising money to continue traveling to Peru.
The minister added that the passport requirement measure is given to guarantee security.
Figures
There is an influx of about 250 thousand Venezuelans in Ecuador, said President Lenin Moreno. Days ago, the Interior Minister, Mauro Toscanini reported that 15% of these stay in the country and the rest goes to Peru and Chile.
Regularization
Moreno said the intention will be regularization and that his government respects human rights. (I)
