Dear John,
This week, to mark World Refugee Day, WOLA launched “Migrants in Colombia: From Government Absence to Criminal Control”, an in-depth report that I researched late last year on Colombia’s borders with Ecuador and Panama.
The report analyzes the obstacles faced by migrants, many of them Venezuelan, as they seek to integrate in Colombia, and the conditions faced by those who decide to head north, primarily to the United States, via the now notorious Darién jungle. The report offers recommendations for governments in the region, including the United States and Colombia. My colleague Laura Dib, WOLA’s Venezuela Director, traveled with me and contributed to the report’s research and writing.
Also this week, WOLA was humbled by the many messages of support from partners in the region following a stigmatizing report from Radio W based on erroneous Colombian intelligence. WOLA has called on the United States and Colombia to review and purge all past intelligence reports which make false accusations against both Colombian and international organizations and put us all at risk.
Last but not least, WOLA welcomes President Biden’s announcement this week offering a legal pathway to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who are spouses of U.S citizens as well as their children.
All this and more in this week’s WOLA Weekly.
