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One million Venezuelans entered Ecuador; 200 thousand have stayed
Posted On 23 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
The number of Venezuelans who have entered and stayed this year in Ecuador would be equivalent to a population close to that of the guayasenses cantons Milagro or Duran.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry estimated yesterday that more than one million Venezuelans entered so far this year and about 200,000 remained in the country. This means that 20% of Venezuelans fleeing the economic crisis have stayed in Ecuador.
Others have only entered Ecuadorian territory as a country of passage, to continue their journeys to Peru and Chile. Venezuelans say they go to these countries because they find it a bit cheaper than the dollarized Ecuadorian economy and the more flexible labor policies they have.
Foreign Minister José Valencia yesterday told representatives of foreign media that of the Venezuelans who stayed in Ecuador 90,000 have a residence visa, 50,000 are in process and the rest Ecuador will provide facilities so that you can legalize your stay.
For Valencia, this unusual migratory flow in Ecuador “is a regional issue.”
For that reason, he insisted yesterday that he will hold a regional meeting of a technical nature between September 17 and 18, in Quito. And for that, he said, thirteen countries from South and Central America will be invited.
Ecuador defends the requirement of requesting a passport from Venezuelans as a measure to guarantee security, although Valencia said that Venezuelan citizens who are in Ecuadorian territory can reunite with other members of their family circle without there being a passport requirement.
“These are sensitive and humanitarian measures that the government takes into account,” he said.
While Ecuador tries to address the problem at the regional level, the flow of migrants through Rumichaca and informal steps continued yesterday. Some clamored for the government to stop demanding the passport.
Tens, tired from the long journey, must sleep holding the cold on one side of the Pan-American Highway.
The Ombudsman of Carchi came to Rumichaca with posters written with the rights that are enshrined in the Constitution, in the Human Mobility Law and in international treaties, some Venezuelans took them and made a sit-in of about five minutes with them.
Some, without a passport, waited in Rumichaca with the hope that the hearing would be held in which the precautionary measures to suppress the passport request would be reviewed.
Miia Inciarte, 26, was traveling with her cousin Sara, because she says that what is earned there is not enough to survive. His idea was to get to Peru, where he has two cousins waiting for him. She will look for a job to help her parents. “From the outside you can help more than being there,” he said. (I)
