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(CNN Spanish) - The deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela for the Táchira state, Carlos Valero, denounced this Tuesday that many Venezuelan citizens are out in the open and crowded in the border city of Cúcuta, Colombia, in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic. "It is inhumane and cruel to close the doors of our country to our brothers and keep them out in the open waiting for days, with no certainty that they will be allowed to enter," said Valero.
# 8Jun Venezuelans are in these inhumane conditions in public places in Cúcuta after not being able to enter #Venezuela due to the border crossings that the regime now keeps restricted, causing chaos and causing further problems to neighboring countries pic.twitter.com/H8qqa4tuLj
- Carlos Valero (@ CarlosValero08) June 9, 2020
Migration Colombia reported in a statement on Saturday that the government of Nicolás Maduro had made the decision to restrict the entry to Venezuela of citizens of that country to the Simón Bolívar International Bridge to three days a week starting this Monday. The official note indicates that the return could only be made on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in groups that do not exceed 300 people by the Simón Bolívar bridge and 100 by the José Antonio Páez bridge, in the Colombian departments of Norte de Santander and Arauca , respectively. The measure, according to Colombian authorities, would imply a reduction of almost 80% in the rate of return of Venezuelans.
Since the pandemic began, more than 71,000 Venezuelan migrants have voluntarily returned from Colombia, according to Migración Colombia.
In an interview with Radio Nacional de Colombia, President Iván Duque described the situation on the border as “complex” and considered that it is “an issue that must be observed by the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Organization through his office for refugees, because we are facilitating that humanitarian process. " Duque added that Colombia has received Venezuelan migrants "with a sense of brotherhood, in the midst of a great humanitarian, social and economic crisis resulting from the dictatorship", but that "when we have seen that there is a desire for these citizens to return to his country, we have looked for humanitarian corridors to facilitate it ”.
The Venezuelan government has not spoken in this regard. CNN contacted the Ministry for Communication and Information of that country, but so far has received no response.
Colombian-Venezuelan border Venezuelan immigration Venezuelan Venezuelans in Colombia