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February 17, 2021


Dear John xxxxxx,

Colombian President Iván Duque's recent announcement that more than 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the country will receive a ten-year grant of protected status represents a historic move for Latin America.

In a new commentary, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) researchers Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and Diego Chaves-González discuss the implications of this policy and the difficult next steps needed to translate it into concrete actions for social cohesion. Given complexities around eligibility rules and the difficulty for many to access documentation, the logistical effort required will be massive. But the even bigger challenge will be to put in place the conditions for successful long-term integration.

"Investing in newcomers can be a double-edged sword," they write. "On one hand, getting Venezuelans into school and work quickly is vital to enabling them to thrive and contribute to their new home. On the other, this investment may come at a price if publics are not persuaded of its value for the overall society and see the spending as competition for scarce resources."

As Colombia prepares to implement the most ambitious humanitarian gesture in the region in decades, its ultimate success will be guided by whether publics believe their best interests are being served.

You can read the commentary here: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/colombia-historic-legalization-what-next. And for more on how Colombia and other countries in the region are receiving Venezuelan emigrants, as well as handling their migration portfolios more broadly, please check out our Latin America and Caribbean Migration Portal: www.migrationportal.org/.


Sincerely,

Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications and Public Affairs,
Migration Policy Institute

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