Our Exodus
Walking alongside fellow countrymen for hundreds of miles, stories begin to sound familiar. Eliezer deserted the army to join his companions on their trek to Medellín, while Ligia, an elderly woman, cried for her son, who had been left behind. Carlos, his voice trembling, shared that his mother had died of cancer after a futile search for medicine.
Venezuela shares two main borders: one with Brazil, largely covered by the Amazon rainforest, and the other, much longer, with Colombia. Through this latter border, millions of Venezuelans have fled on foot, traversing towns and small cities unaccustomed to receiving so many newcomers.
I immersed myself in this journey, traveling from the border city of Cúcuta to Bucaramanga—125 miles of extreme heat and freezing highlands, a path that has claimed the lives of many migrants.
While the journey may seem lonely, there is help along the way. In Pamplona, a small town between the two cities, a man named Douglas has turned his home into a shelter for 200 migrants. He’s not alone—Martha has done the same, offering refuge for women and children.
These are small respites on a challenging journey that can take more than a week on foot, along the only road that crosses "El Páramo de Berlín," a mountainous region in the Colombian Andes. Freezing temperatures and high altitudes pose significant risks, as families press forward, hoping for a ride from passing drivers.
Venezuela, once a nation known for its open doors, is now experiencing its first mass migration. According to the Regional Platform for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants (R4V), by November 2023, over 7.7 million Venezuelans had fled the country, with 84% (6.5 million) remaining in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This crisis is unique in that it is not driven by war. According to the Encovi survey, conducted by Venezuela’s top universities, in 2023, 82% of the population was in poverty, with 50% in extreme poverty. Although slight improvement has occurred since the pandemic, the situation remains dire.
International observers and the opposition blame the Venezuelan government for the crisis. Meanwhile, President Nicolás Maduro, in power for over a decade, is accused of crimes against humanity and human rights violations at the International Criminal Court. His government, however, attributes the country’s hardships to U.S. and EU economic sanctions.
As Venezuela approaches its presidential elections in July 2024, neighboring countries like Colombia, Peru, and the U.S. continue to debate how to integrate the influx of Venezuelan migrants. A 2022 IMF study suggests that, with proper integration, Venezuelan migration could contribute up to 4% of the host countries’ GDP by 2030.
Some countries are taking steps toward this. In late 2023, the Biden administration extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. for 18 months, benefiting nearly half a million people.
This response reflects a growing trend: over the past three years, thousands of Venezuelans have braved the dangerous Darién Gap, a jungle between Colombia and Panama, to reach the U.S. But for those still crossing the Páramo de Berlín, their shared goal remains the same: to move forward, seeking a better future far from home.
