Colombia (MNN) — Colombia has granted legal status to nearly one million Venezuelan refugees. These protections will last for 10 years, allowing them to more easily work, live, and receive medical care in the country.
Brian Dennett of AMG International says refugees continue pouring in from Venezuela. “It’s really the result of just a desperate people. They come [due to] shortages, hyperinflation, the collapse (almost entirely) of public services, and malnutrition. We’ve even heard reports of professional and family women turning to prostitution to support their families.”
“Millions of people really are forced to at the very least consider leaving their own country in order to survive.”
The United Nations has applauded the decision, even suggesting it could model how the world handles the global refugee crisis.
Dennett talks about how the move benefits Colombia. “Being in the midst of a pandemic, it’s going to give them access to international funding that’s available. And it’s going to be very much required to provide health care, vaccines, and even shelter [for these refugees]. In the government’s mind, having them in local tax environments rather than running the risk of criminal activity for survival, I think just ends up making very good sense.”
AMG serves refugees in Colombia and around the world, providing for their needs and sharing the hope of Christ with them. Pray many Venezuelan refugees would embrace this living hope.
The header image shows Venezuelan refugees sleeping in Colombia. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
