Regional Focus: Americas - Pt. 1

News: Colombia's Plan to Regularize Venezuelan Refugees

On 8 Feb. 2021, Colombia announced that it would extend temporary protection status for a ten-year period to Venezuelans already in the country as well as those arriving within the first two years. For more information and analysis, see:

• "Aid groups praise Colombia for Venezuelan migrant move, say more help needed," The New Humanitarian, 10 Feb. 2021 [text]
• Aportes y retos del Estatuto de protección a refugiados y migrantes venezolanos en Colombia (equilibrium CenDE, Feb. 2021) [text]
• "Colombia Went Big on Migration. Will Others Follow?," Americas Quarterly, 11 Feb. 2021 [text]
• Statement by the UN High Commissioner for refugees on Colombia’s new temporary protection measure for Venezuelans (UNHCR, Feb. 2021) [text]
• UNHCR and IOM welcome Colombia’s decision to regularize Venezuelan refugees and migrants: UNHCR–IOM Joint Press Release (Feb. 2021) [text]
• The US can learn a lot from Colombia about giving rights to undocumented immigrants (Up Front Blog, Feb. 2021) [text]
• What Comes Next Now that Colombia Has Taken a Historic Step on Migration? (MPI Commentary, Feb. 2021) [text]

Opportunity:

Book launch: International Affairs and Canadian Migration Policy, 2 March 2021 [info]

Blog posts & press:

UN agencies begin processing at Matamoros (UNHCR, Feb. 2021) [text]

UN High Commissioner for Refugees commends Costa Rica for commitment to those forced to flee (UNHCR, Feb. 2021) [text]

"U.N. in talks with U.S. on Central American refugees applying for asylum from home," Reuters, 9 Feb. 2021 [text]

UNHCR welcomes expansion of Guatemala’s asylum capacity (UNHCR, Feb. 2021) [text]

*Venezuelan refugees and their receiving communities need funding, not sympathy (Up Front Blog, Feb. 2021) [text]

Reports:

Americas: Pushback Practices and Their Impact on the Human Rights of Migrants and Refugees (Amnesty International, Feb. 2021) [text]

Latin American Local Faith Community Responses to Venezuelan Migration (Church World Service, Sept. 2020) [text via ReliefWeb]

- See also Spanish version.

Multimedia:

Realizing protection and solutions within North America, 21 Jan. 2021 [access]

- Follow link for webinar report and video recording.

North America within the global refugee regime, 21 Jan. 2021 [access]

- Follow link for webinar report and video recording.

*UPDATED

Related post:

- Regional Focus: Americas (5 Feb. 2021)