- Title: Venezuelan migrants flood into Ecuador ahead of new visa restrictions
- Date: 26th August 2019
- Summary: RUMUCHACA INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE AT COLOMBIA-ECUADOR BORDER (AUGUST 25, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, MIGRANTS CROSSING THE BORDER BETWEEN ECUADOR AND COLOMBIA MIGRANTS SEEN CROSSING BRIDGE TULCAN, ECUADOR (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, SORELYS ANAOLE, CARRYING LUGGAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, SORELYS ANAOLE, SAYING: "(I'm) very well, very happy, and a little sad." VARIOUS, ANAOLE AND OTHER MIGRANTS WALKING WITH LUGGAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, SORELYS ANAOLE, SAYING: "When they told me that they were going to close the Ecuador border, it was all of a sudden, and I told myself, 'I have to do it because it will be harder for me later.'" IPIALES, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) MIGRANTS WAITING ON COLOMBIAN SIDE OF BORDER TO CROSS INTO ECUADOR COLOMBIAN POLICE NEAR BORDER TULCAN, ECUADOR (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) ECUADOREAN UNDER SECRETARY FOR MIGRATION, JHOE LARA, WALKING WITH MIGRATION OFFICER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ECUADOREAN UNDER SECRETARY FOR MIGRATION, JHOE LARA, SAYING: "There will be penalties, and depending on the type of infraction they may be given a notice to exit the country, later there are deportation processes, but we hope not to arrive at that. We want the people that enter Ecuador to do so legally." IPIALES, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) MILITARY PERSONNEL NEAR BORDER MIGRANTS BY BRIDGE AT BORDER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN MIGRANT, FRANCISCO LOPEZ, SAYING: "Well, they're asking for a visa and passport and they get you when you're in a bad state because there was no time for that. And, now there are rumors that they are going to charge in dollars; we don't know how much they're going to charge (for a visa). In reality, they caught us by surprise because we don't have that available right now. (I'm) saying to the government officials that they give us a solution to this, to move on to our destination." VARIOUS, MIGRANTS OUTSIDE COLOMBIAN MIGRATION POST TULCAN, ECUADOR (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) BRIDGE AT COLOMBIA-ECUADOR BORDER MIGRANTS OUTSIDE IMMIGRATION POST CHAPUEL, ECUADOR (AUGUST 24, 2019) (REUTERS) POLICE CHECKING MOTORCYCLIST ON SIDE OF ROAD POLICE CHECKING FAMILY'S DOCUMENTS TULCAN, ECUADOR (AUGUST 24, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, POLICE OFFICER STOPPING VAN TULCAN, ECUADOR (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) ECUADOREAN UNDER SECRETARY FOR MIGRATION, JHOE LARA, WALKING WITH MIGRATION OFFICER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ECUADOREAN UNDER SECRETARY FOR MIGRATION, JHOE LARA, SAYING: "It's not (just) the control measures that we can perform, but rather inviting the people of Venezuela to not cross in those areas. First off, they won't be legally in Ecuador, and second, the worry that we have is that there could be cases of human trafficking and we want to avoid that as much as possible." TUFINO, ECUADOR (AUGUST 24, 2019) (REUTERS) SIGN READING (Spanish), "THANK YOU FOR VISITING THE REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR" SIGN OVER ROAD RUMICHACA, ECUADOR (AUGUST 25, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, MIGRANTS IN LINE AT IMMIGRATION POST IPIALES, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 25, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, WOMAN HOLDING VENEZUELAN FLAG
- Embargoed: 9th September 2019 19:40
- Keywords: exodus Ecuador crisis emigration restrictions Venezuela Venezuelan visa migration border Colombia migrants
- Location: TULCAN, TUFINO, RUMICHACA & CHAPUEL, ECUADOR / IPIALES, COLOMBIA / RUMUCHACA INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE AT COLOMBIA-ECUADOR BORDER
- City: TULCAN, TUFINO, RUMICHACA & CHAPUEL, ECUADOR / IPIALES, COLOMBIA / RUMUCHACA INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE AT COLOMBIA-ECUADOR BORDER
- Country: Ecuador
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ATUWJEV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: More than 85,000 Venezuelan migrants crossed into Ecuador from Colombia in the last month, ahead of new visa restrictions from Quito that took effect on Monday (August 26), the Colombian government said.
The number of migrants entering Ecuador at the Rumichaca border crossing reached 11,000 over the weekend, an uptick of 30% compared to normal traffic, according to figures from Colombia's migration agency.
Ecuador will now require a visa for Venezuelan citizens, part of stricter immigration policies being implemented in several countries.
Unlike its neighbors Colombia has not put in place stringent immigration requirements, instead encouraging migrants who entered the country informally to register with authorities so they can access healthcare, school places and other social services.
Colombia said this month it would give citizenship to more than 24,000 children born in the country to Venezuelan migrant parents, to prevent the children from being stateless and less able to access public services.
Meanwhile, Ecuador has stepped up roadside checks around its border with Colombia to try to stem the flow of mostly Venezuelan migrants who attempt to cross the border illegally.
Some 320,000 Venezuelans currently live in Ecuador. The government estimates that figure could increase to nearly half a million by the end of the year.
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