Colombia describes Maduro's statements on the regularization of Venezuelan migrants as "absurd" | CNN

Duque explains why create the Temporary Statute of Protection 0:52

(CNN Spanish) -

Colombia rejected and described as "absurd" the statements of the questioned president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who said on Wednesday that the protection of Colombia granted days ago to Venezuelan migrants is a "clown."

"Based on his speech, the illegitimate and criminal regime of Nicolás Maduro reaffirms its indifferent and cruel attitude to the serious humanitarian, economic, political and social reality that the Venezuelan population suffers," the Colombian government said in a statement.

"The Temporary Statute for the Protection of Migrants reflects Colombia's commitment to support the reconstruction of the life projects of our Venezuelan brothers who have been forced to leave their country," adds the official note.

Earlier, Maduro said from Caracas that there are 6 million Colombian migrants in Venezuela and that they have never needed a provisional protection treaty.

"They have never needed a clown that Duque is inventing to wash his face with the tremendous aggression against the people of Venezuela," he said at a press conference from the Miraflores Palace.

“Six million Colombians who have full rights to health, education, housing, work, and political freedom;

many of them have completed the years to be nationalized as Venezuelans and have dual nationality, "he added.

• With temporary protection status, Venezuelan immigrants would improve their future in Colombia and could apply for citizenship

Duque: Regularizing Venezuelans will help against covid-19 2:07

On February 8, Colombian President Iván Duque announced the creation of the Temporary Protection Statute that would regularize the situation of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan undocumented immigrants for up to 10 years.

The measure only applies to Venezuelans who have arrived in Colombian territory before January 31, 2021.

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In an interview with CNN, Duque said that currently in Colombia there are approximately 1.8 million Venezuelan migrants, of which around 800,000 are regularized.

The president said that the other million, who are already in Colombia, are "in very precarious conditions: they do not have the possibility of opening a bank account, they do not have the possibility of going to the health system on a regular basis because they have to enter through the emergency service, they do not have the possibility of formally joining the labor force and therefore also end up abused or hired in inferior conditions compared to Colombian workers ”.

It is important to note that many of the Colombian immigrants living in Venezuela were subject to some type of regularization.

In the 1980s there was a “registration” of foreigners that allowed many to eventually obtain residency and later citizenship.

Years later, during the government of the late President Hugo Chávez, there were foreign identification operations.

Colombia Venezuelans in Colombia