Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/migrants-stranded-chile-peru-border-repatriated-venezuela-2023-05-07/
Chile’s government has said that 115 Venezuelan migrants who had been stranded on the Chile-Peru border have been repatriated back to their home country of Venezuela. Hundreds of these migrants that were seeking to return home were denied entry into Peru. This caused diplomatic tension as Peru sent soldiers to control the migrants along the border and prevent them from crossing over. According to Chile’s Foreign Ministry, they said that the flight to return immigrants was the result of diplomatic efforts with Venezuelan government and its “Return to Homeland” plan. They also said that they would continue to strengthen regional efforts in order to deal with the immigration issues in the region. “It’s only through regional cooperation that we will be able to take on the regional migration crisis in the medium and long term,” the statement said.
The relations between Chile and Venezuela are strained due to political differences. Chile has recognized Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president, while Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has accused Chile of supporting a U.S backed coup against his government. This has made foreign diplomacy issues much more difficult to deal with especially with issues like the border crisis. There has been lots of tension between Chile and Venezuela over migration, as many Venezuelans have fled their country due to economic and political turmoil. Chile has tightened its immigration policies in response to the large influx of migrants from Venezuela , which has led to some criticism from different human rights groups. Additionally there have been reports of xenophobia and discrimination against Venezuelans in Chile, which only makes it more dangerous for people trying to the flee the country.
The Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These groups are NGOs that work to document human rights abuses against migrants and refugees in the region, and provide assistance to those in need, and advocate for policies that protect the rights of both migrants and refugees. The Human Rights Watch has documented cases of abuse and extortion against Venezuelan migrants by security forces and criminal groups in the region. Amnesty International has called attention to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela and advocates for countries in the region to provide protection and assistance to Venezuelan migrants and refugees.