[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJxLzSvJLKmMT81NSk3RT04sKMnMz9Mpy0wtL9YHk3qJWYkVKAK5-SmlOakAd1UWCw","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307689__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"307689","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/307689","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307689__en","pager_element":0}}},"csp":{"nonce":"iYrzHDA49UCRZS3IWY0rvQ"},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"bc8921424f39d39c64af84232b603fadae46f840a8176c1b2436a5ee00791ac5"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_ttdgUoxkB-pbINT5dW1cMh3IgYOCVTjCJ6Cp-XWwa0k.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNFLzEqs0EnNK8ksqYxPzU1KTdFPTiwoyczP0ynLTC0v1geTern5KaU5qQBrXRXg"}]},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VAWKYxPX4vFoyXs0iEPUrnc99CjyNLIu_pZawjEz9i8.js?scope=footer\u0026delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=hrw_design\u0026include=eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6iVmJFQA22wZe"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307689__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307689__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESince 2014, when the crisis started to deepen, thousands of Venezuelans have migrated to Colombia, according to official statistics that Human Rights Watch reviewed. On July 28, 2017, in response to the \u201csustained\u201d and \u201cincreasing\u201d Venezuelan immigration into the country, the Colombian government created a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.migracioncolombia.gov.co\/index.php\/es\/documentos\/resoluciones\/file\/186-resolucion-5797-pep-venezolanos\u0022\u003Especial permit\u003C\/a\u003E that allows Venezuelan citizens who entered the country legally, but have overstayed their visas, to regularize their status though an online procedure. Venezuelans who regularize their situation under the new resolution would be allowed to stay and work legally in Colombia for up to two years. According to Colombian authorities, more than 22,000 Venezuelans \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.migracioncolombia.gov.co\/index.php\/es\/prensa\/comunicados\/comunicados-2017\/agosto-2017\/5137-mas-de-22-mil-venezolanos-sacaron-su-pep-durante-las-primeras-24-horas-de-vigencia\u0022\u003Erequested\u003C\/a\u003E the permit on the first day the online procedure was available.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, thousands of Venezuelans cross the border for short periods of time to work or buy basic goods, including food and medicine, that they are unable to get in their country. In May 2017, the Colombian government \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/migracioncolombia.gov.co\/index.php\/es\/prensa\/comunicados\/comunicados-2016\/agosto-2016\/3213-asi-funcionara-la-nueva-tarjeta-migratoria-de-transito-fronterizo-entre-colombia-y-venezuela\u0022\u003Eestablished\u003C\/a\u003E a \u201cfrontier migration card\u201d (\u003Cem\u003Etarjeta de movilidad fronteriza\u003C\/em\u003E) that allows Venezuelans to spend up to seven days in neighboring provinces of Colombia, after filing basic information in an online form. Colombian officials told Human Rights Watch that they initially estimated they would issue 20,000 cards, but had already issued over 450,000 as of July.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHere are some accounts relayed to Human Rights Watch by Venezuelans who fled the crisis and are now living in Bogot\u00e1:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32943\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_richard1.jpg?itok=ekk7zA2m 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_richard1.jpg?itok=tyi82w1r 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u00221261\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_richard1.jpg?itok=tyi82w1r\u0022 alt=\u0022Venezuelan Immigration to Colombia - Richard Valenzuela\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERichard Valenzuela,\u003C\/strong\u003E 51, arrived in Bogot\u00e1 from Caracas in December 2015 to get urgent medical treatment for his wife, who had suffered a valvular heart disease since 2015. Doctors told Valenzuela that she couldn\u2019t be operated on in Venezuela because the hospitals lacked the medical supplies necessary for the operation, Valenzuela said. Valenzuela also told Human Rights Watch they had increasing difficulties to purchase food: \u201cOne had to be lucky to find something after waiting in the lines,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EValenzuela, his wife, and their son Erick took a bus from Caracas to San Cristobal, in T\u00e1chira state, and then a taxi to the border. Richard uses a wheelchair and his wife was very weak, so the final 200-meter journey to the border\u2014which cannot be done by car\u2014was very difficult for them. His wife suffered a stroke as they were crossing the border, so she was immediately taken to a hospital in the Colombian city of C\u00facuta. Valenzuela and his son spent two days sleeping on the streets, while his wife was hospitalized, until a relative who lived in Bogot\u00e1 picked them up and drove her them to Bogot\u00e1.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EColombian doctors operated on Valenzuela\u2019s wife a few months later. She is now feeling better but must take medication to treat her condition. Valenzuela\u2019s son, who was born in Venezuela but has dual nationality, works in a bakery, sometimes on 16-hour shifts to earn enough money to support his family. When Human Rights Watch interviewed him in July, Valenzuela was trying to get a residency visa to get a job, but he couldn\u2019t afford it. His landlord had recently asked them to leave because of delays in their rent payment.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECesar Bravo (pseudonym),\u003C\/strong\u003E a 28-year-old engineer and activist of the Popular Will (\u003Cem\u003EVoluntad Popular\u003C\/em\u003E) opposition party, left Venezuela due to the economic hardships his family was facing. Their two sources of income\u2014his mother\u2019s pension and a family-owned store that sells vegetables\u2014were insufficient to adequately feed their family of five. Bravo was also recovering from a cancer for which he had been treated and cured a few years ago, and he struggled to get the vitamins and sufficient food he needed to recover weight. At some point during his treatment he weighed 38 kilos, but is now slowly recovering, Bravo told us. When Human Rights Watch interviewed him in July, he was still very thin.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYorman Arteaga,\u003C\/strong\u003E a 24-year-old architect, was a Popular Will volunteer in Zulia State during the December 2015 legislative elections. At the time, a soldier threatened to detain him after he complained about how government supporters were overseeing the elections. Local authorities fired Arteaga\u2019s father, who worked at a local mayor\u2019s office, after the legislative elections because he hadn\u2019t voted for the government\u2019s official party, Arteaga told Human Rights Watch. Nine months later, Arteaga decided to leave the country to avoid causing problems for his family, he told Human Rights Watch.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-left embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--left\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/32944\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_yornan3.jpg?itok=tGuoGFM4 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_yornan3.jpg?itok=XkhicTp5 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u00221261\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2017\/201708americas_venezuela_yornan3.jpg?itok=XkhicTp5\u0022 alt=\u0022Venezuelan Immigration to Colombia - Yorman Arteaga\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBravo and Arteaga traveled together by car to the border close to Maicao, Colombia, and then took a bus to Bogot\u00e1, where they arrived in September 2016.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWithout legal residency permits in the country, it has been hard for both of them to find a job in their area of expertise. Bravo\u2014who cleaned houses, and worked at a few restaurants and a minimarket\u2014told Human Rights Watch that he has achieved more in these months than he could have in Venezuela. Arteaga worked at a restaurant for some time, until he found his current job, administering another restaurant that serves Venezuelan food.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth Bravo and Arteaga are helping their families in Venezuela, sending back food, personal items such as deodorant, and basic medicine including acetaminophen and asthma medication.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__307689__en","data":"","settings":null}]