The Ecuadorian government is asking 13 other South American nations to attend a regional summit to discuss the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

The foreign ministry said it was inviting Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela to a Sept. 17-18 meeting in Quito.

According to the United Nations, more than 2 million Venezuelans have fled the worsening economic crisis in the oil-rich nation since 2014.

Desperate migrants have been fleeing through neighboring Colombia to countries like Ecuador and Peru in search of work.

The International Monetary Fund is forecasting that Venezuela's inflation could reach 1 million percent by the end of the year, sparking regional concern that the migrant crisis will only get worse.

Last week, Ecuador and Peru announced new rules blocking entry to Venezuelans traveling without a passport. Most poor Venezuelans don't have passports, which take months to obtain and cost hundreds of dollars.

Brazil sent troops to its northern border on Sunday after residents there burned a Venezuelan migrant camp.

Ecuador's deputy migration minister, Santiago Chavez, said it was important to establish policies to "confront in the best manner and most responsible way, the unusual flux of Venezuelan citizens."

The United Nations refugee agency estimates about 550,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador in 2018 but claims that only 20 percent of those remain, with the rest continuing on to Peru and Chile.</s>BOGOTA (Reuters) - Officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will meet in Bogota next week to seek a solution to a growing exodus of migrants overwhelming South American countries as they flee a devastating economic crisis in Venezuela.

Venezuelan migrant Jhan Carlos Rivas hugs his wife Maiquerina Vasquez as they arrive from the northern city of Tumbes, at the border with Ecuador, to the bus terminal in Lima, Peru August 23, 2018. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

The head of Colombia’s migration authority, Christian Kruger, said in a statement on Thursday the three nations would meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss problems caused by thousands of Venezuelans who cross borders each day and the impact of recently implemented passport controls by Peru and Ecuador.

“The exodus of Venezuelan citizens is not a problem exclusive to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador or a single country. This is a regional problem and as such we must address it,” Kruger said.

In the past two weeks, both Ecuador and Peru have announced tighter entry rules for Venezuelans, requiring them to carry valid passports instead of just national ID cards. In Brazil, rioters drove hundreds of migrants back over the border.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Peru’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Lima was calling for a meeting of the permanent council of the Organization of American States to discuss Venezuelan migration.

More than a million Venezuelan migrants have entered Colombia over the past 15 months, according to official estimates, but Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil have also received many migrants.

The statement said the new passport measures had cut the number of Venezuelans crossing legally through passport controls in Colombia but increased the number crossing borders illegally.

“Demanding passports from a nation that does not have them and whose government does not facilitate the issuance of this document is to encourage irregularity,” Kruger said.

Over the past two years, many Venezuelans have struggled to obtain passports amid the OPEC nation’s political and economic chaos.

A growing wave of migrants has inundated border towns and flooded some Latin American job markets with low-skilled Venezuelans desperate for work in order to send money back to their homeland.

With the International Monetary Fund forecasting that Venezuela’s inflation could reach 1 million percent by year’s end, malnutrition is on the rise, as a monthly minimum wage that amounts to a few U.S. dollars puts basic products like chicken out of reach for many.</s>GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations refugee and migration agencies called on Latin American countries on Thursday to ease entry for Venezuelan nationals fleeing economic hardship and a deepening political crisis.

They voiced concern at new passport and border entry requirements in Ecuador and Peru, while praising states for hosting more than 1.6 million Venezuelans who have left since 2015.

“It remains critical that any new measures continue to allow those in need of international protection to access safety and seek asylum,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.</s>BOGOTA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will meet in Bogota next week to seek a solution to a growing exodus of migrants overwhelming South American countries as they flee a devastating economic crisis in Venezuela.

The head of Colombia's migration authority, Christian Kruger, said in a statement on Thursday the three nations would meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss problems caused by thousands of Venezuelans who cross borders each day and the impact of recently implemented passport controls by Peru and Ecuador.

"The exodus of Venezuelan citizens is not a problem exclusive to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador or a single country. This is a regional problem and as such we must address it," Kruger said.

In the past two weeks, both Ecuador and Peru have announced tighter entry rules for Venezuelans, requiring them to carry valid passports instead of just national ID cards. In Brazil, rioters drove hundreds of migrants back over the border.

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Peru's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Lima was calling for a meeting of the permanent council of the Organization of American States to discuss Venezuelan migration.

More than a million Venezuelan migrants have entered Colombia over the past 15 months, according to official estimates, but Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil have also received many migrants.

The statement said the new passport measures had cut the number of Venezuelans crossing legally through passport controls in Colombia but increased the number crossing borders illegally.

"Demanding passports from a nation that does not have them and whose government does not facilitate the issuance of this document is to encourage irregularity," Kruger said.

Over the past two years, many Venezuelans have struggled to obtain passports amid the OPEC nation's political and economic chaos.

A growing wave of migrants has inundated border towns and flooded some Latin American job markets with low-skilled Venezuelans desperate for work in order to send money back to their homeland.

With the International Monetary Fund forecasting that Venezuela's inflation could reach 1 million percent by year's end, malnutrition is on the rise, as a monthly minimum wage that amounts to a few U.S. dollars puts basic products like chicken out of reach for many. (Reporting by Helen Murphy; Additional reporting by Brian Ellsworth in Caracas and Mitra Taj in Lima; Editing by Peter Cooney)</s>Officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will meet in Bogota next week to seek a solution to a growing exodus of migrants overwhelming South American countries as they flee a devastating economic crisis in Venezuela.

The head of Colombia's migration authority, Christian Kruger, said in a statement on Thursday the three nations would meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss problems caused by thousands of Venezuelans who cross borders each day and the impact of recently implemented passport controls by Peru and Ecuador.

"The exodus of Venezuelan citizens is not a problem exclusive to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador or a single country. This is a regional problem and as such we must address it," Kruger said.

In the past two weeks, both Ecuador and Peru have announced tighter entry rules for Venezuelans, requiring them to carry valid passports instead of just national ID cards. In Brazil, rioters drove hundreds of migrants back over the border.

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Peru's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Lima was calling for a meeting of the permanent council of the Organization of American States to discuss Venezuelan migration.

More than a million Venezuelan migrants have entered Colombia over the past 15 months, according to official estimates, but Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil have also received many migrants.

The statement said the new passport measures had cut the number of Venezuelans crossing legally through passport controls in Colombia but increased the number crossing borders illegally.

"Demanding passports from a nation that does not have them and whose government does not facilitate the issuance of this document is to encourage irregularity," Kruger said.

Over the past two years, many Venezuelans have struggled to obtain passports amid the OPEC nation’s political and economic chaos.

A growing wave of migrants has inundated border towns and flooded some Latin American job markets with low-skilled Venezuelans desperate for work in order to send money back to their homeland.

With the International Monetary Fund forecasting that Venezuela’s inflation could reach 1 million percent by year's end, malnutrition is on the rise, as a monthly minimum wage that amounts to a few U.S. dollars puts basic products like chicken out of reach for many.</s>BOGOTA (Reuters) - Officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will meet in Bogota next week to seek a solution to a growing exodus of migrants overwhelming South American countries as they flee a devastating economic crisis in Venezuela.

The head of Colombia’s migration authority, Christian Kruger, said in a statement on Thursday the three nations would meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss problems caused by thousands of Venezuelans who cross borders each day and the impact of recently implemented passport controls by Peru and Ecuador.

“The exodus of Venezuelan citizens is not a problem exclusive to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador or a single country. This is a regional problem and as such we must address it,” Kruger said.

In the past two weeks, both Ecuador and Peru have announced tighter entry rules for Venezuelans, requiring them to carry valid passports instead of just national ID cards. In Brazil, rioters drove hundreds of migrants back over the border.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Peru’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Lima was calling for a meeting of the permanent council of the Organization of American States to discuss Venezuelan migration.

More than a million Venezuelan migrants have entered Colombia over the past 15 months, according to official estimates, but Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil have also received many migrants.

The statement said the new passport measures had cut the number of Venezuelans crossing legally through passport controls in Colombia but increased the number crossing borders illegally.

“Demanding passports from a nation that does not have them and whose government does not facilitate the issuance of this document is to encourage irregularity,” Kruger said.

Over the past two years, many Venezuelans have struggled to obtain passports amid the OPEC nation’s political and economic chaos.

A growing wave of migrants has inundated border towns and flooded some Latin American job markets with low-skilled Venezuelans desperate for work in order to send money back to their homeland.

With the International Monetary Fund forecasting that Venezuela’s inflation could reach 1 million percent by year’s end, malnutrition is on the rise, as a monthly minimum wage that amounts to a few U.S. dollars puts basic products like chicken out of reach for many.</s>The Ecuadorian government is asking 13 other South American nations to attend a regional summit to discuss the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

The foreign ministry said it was inviting Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela to a Sept. 17-18 meeting in Quito.

According to the United Nations, more than 2 million Venezuelans have fled the worsening economic crisis in the oil-rich nation since 2014.

Desperate migrants have been fleeing through neighboring Colombia to countries like Ecuador and Peru in search of work.

The International Monetary Fund is forecasting that Venezuela’s inflation could reach 1 million percent by the end of the year, sparking regional concern that the migrant crisis will only get worse.

Last week, Ecuador and Peru announced new rules blocking entry to Venezuelans traveling without a passport. Most poor Venezuelans don’t have passports, which take months to obtain and cost hundreds of dollars.

Brazil sent troops to its northern border on Sunday after residents there burned a Venezuelan migrant camp.

Ecuador’s deputy migration minister, Santiago Chavez, said it was important to establish policies to “confront in the best manner and most responsible way, the unusual flux of Venezuelan citizens.”

The United Nations refugee agency estimates about 550,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador in 2018 but claims that only 20 percent of those remain, with the rest continuing on to Peru and Chile. [Read More]

 

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 Source: VOA News: Science and Technology</s>The Ecuadorian government is asking 13 other South American nations to attend a regional summit to discuss the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

The foreign ministry said it was inviting Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela to a Sept. 17-18 meeting in Quito.

According to the United Nations, more than 2 million Venezuelans have fled the worsening economic crisis in the oil-rich nation since 2014.

Desperate migrants have been fleeing through neighboring Colombia to countries like Ecuador and Peru in search of work.

The International Monetary Fund is forecasting that Venezuela’s inflation could reach 1 million percent by the end of the year, sparking regional concern that the migrant crisis will only get worse.

Last week, Ecuador and Peru announced new rules blocking entry to Venezuelans traveling without a passport. Most poor Venezuelans don’t have passports, which take months to obtain and cost hundreds of dollars.

Brazil sent troops to its northern border on Sunday after residents there burned a Venezuelan migrant camp.

Ecuador’s deputy migration minister, Santiago Chavez, said it was important to establish policies to “confront in the best manner and most responsible way, the unusual flux of Venezuelan citizens.”

The United Nations refugee agency estimates about 550,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador in 2018 but claims that only 20 percent of those remain, with the rest continuing on to Peru and Chile. [Read More]

 

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 Source: VOA News: Disasters and Accidents</s>BOGOTA (Reuters) - Officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will meet in Bogota next week to seek a solution to a growing exodus of migrants overwhelming South American countries as they flee a devastating economic crisis in Venezuela.

The head of Colombia's migration authority, Christian Kruger, said in a statement on Thursday the three nations would meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss problems caused by thousands of Venezuelans who cross borders each day and the impact of recently implemented passport controls by Peru and Ecuador.

"The exodus of Venezuelan citizens is not a problem exclusive to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador or a single country. This is a regional problem and as such we must address it," Kruger said.

In the past two weeks, both Ecuador and Peru have announced tighter entry rules for Venezuelans, requiring them to carry valid passports instead of just national ID cards. In Brazil, rioters drove hundreds of migrants back over the border.

Venezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Peru's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Lima was calling for a meeting of the permanent council of the Organization of American States to discuss Venezuelan migration.

More than a million Venezuelan migrants have entered Colombia over the past 15 months, according to official estimates, but Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil have also received many migrants.

The statement said the new passport measures had cut the number of Venezuelans crossing legally through passport controls in Colombia but increased the number crossing borders illegally.

"Demanding passports from a nation that does not have them and whose government does not facilitate the issuance of this document is to encourage irregularity," Kruger said.

Over the past two years, many Venezuelans have struggled to obtain passports amid the OPEC nation's political and economic chaos.

A growing wave of migrants has inundated border towns and flooded some Latin American job markets with low-skilled Venezuelans desperate for work in order to send money back to their homeland.

With the International Monetary Fund forecasting that Venezuela's inflation could reach 1 million percent by year's end, malnutrition is on the rise, as a monthly minimum wage that amounts to a few U.S. dollars puts basic products like chicken out of reach for many.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.</s>The Ecuadorian government is asking 13 other South American nations to attend a regional summit to discuss the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

The foreign ministry said it was inviting Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela to a Sept. 17-18 meeting in Quito.

According to the United Nations, more than 2 million Venezuelans have fled the worsening economic crisis in the oil-rich nation since 2014.

Desperate migrants have been fleeing through neighboring Colombia to countries like Ecuador and Peru in search of work.

The International Monetary Fund is forecasting that Venezuela’s inflation could reach 1 million percent by the end of the year, sparking regional concern that the migrant crisis will only get worse.

Last week, Ecuador and Peru announced new rules blocking entry to Venezuelans traveling without a passport. Most poor Venezuelans don’t have passports, which take months to obtain and cost hundreds of dollars.

Brazil sent troops to its northern border on Sunday after residents there burned a Venezuelan migrant camp.

Ecuador’s deputy migration minister, Santiago Chavez, said it was important to establish policies to “confront in the best manner and most responsible way, the unusual flux of Venezuelan citizens.”

The United Nations refugee agency estimates about 550,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador in 2018 but claims that only 20 percent of those remain, with the rest continuing on to Peru and Chile. [Read More]

 

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 Source: VOA News: Education
Colombia announces that it will host a summit in Bogotá with migration officials from Peru and Ecuador in an attempt to seek a solution for the growing illegal immigration of Venezuelans through their nations.