13 July 2019 | Deutsche Welle


Venezuelans find refuge, solidarity in Colombia

Vice President Pence announced in February of this year that the United States will be offering nearly $61 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support the regional response to the Venezuelans fleeing the crisis. A small share will be going to a recently inaugurated reception center near Maicao in the Department of La Guajira in the north of Colombia bordering Venezuela. This center, a collaboration between UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the Colombian authorities, will be the first refugee center in Colombia according to UNHCR. Maicao is the second largest urban center near the border with Venezuela after the city of Cúcuta. It is an infamous and dangerous city because of the many smugglers (drugs, gasoline and human) in the city, the violence and the sexual exploitation. Venezuelan refugees living on the streets are an easy target. This is their story.