Video: Venezuela's Vulnerable Diaspora — A Regional Update amid the Pandemic

Speakers:

• Felipe Muñoz, Presidential Advisor for the Colombian-Venezuelan Border, Office of the Presidency, Colombia
• Luisa Feline Freier, Assistant Professor, Universidad del Pacífico
• Lala Lovera, Founder, Fundación Comparte por una Vida Colombia
• Brian Winter, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly (moderator)

Experts discussed the situation of Venezuelan migrants during the current coronavirus crisis as part of a panel to launch Americas Quarterly's new issue on migration in the Americas. COVID-19 tends to exacerbate and expose conditions in Latin America and around the world,  and that’s especially true for Venezuelan migrants, whose already dire situation becomes more urgent is the face of this crisis. "The risk is severe, and vulnerability is increasing by the day," said Luisa Feline Freier as she shared statistics on the Venezuelans in Colombia who are experiencing hunger, having trouble accessing healthcare, and are fearful of losing their housing. "We're asking people to stay at home," said Lala Lovera. "But how can Venezuelan migrants do that? They sometimes live with 10 to 20 people in a house, or they live on the streets." Felipe Muñoz talked about the first phase of the Colombian government’s plan to attend to needs of migrants in the country during the pandemic, and while noting the plan is unprecedented in the region, he also acknowledged that there was much more the Duque administration wants to do for the migrants but that it will require more international funds to do so.