The Venezuelan migration in context: Integration and migrant 'desirability'

The current situation in Venezuela has been labelled a ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ by different UN organisations as well as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM October 2019), which estimates that seven million Venezuelans currently need humanitarian assistance - around 23% of the population. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to date 4.5 million Venezuelans have left the country (UNHCR, October 2019). They have migrated all over the world, but most live within Latin America – with Colombia having the largest share. I will argue that there have been two migration waves: one from 1999 to 2014 (starting from the rise to power of President Chavez in Venezuela), and one from 2014 to date (from the start of the intensification of the emigration flow). This paper explains the context of the situation that has led to the migration of more than 10% of the Venezuelan population; it evaluates the migration patterns and analyses the issues surrounding the integration of Venezuelans into local societies in Latin America.