- The US government has provided nearly $3 billion since 2017 in humanitarian aid funds for Venezuelans | Photo: EFE
On September 25, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States will allocate $228 million to provide food assistance to Venezuelan migrants traveling through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
This amount is part of a new $685 million allocation that the U.S. is using to help Latin American and Caribbean countries accommodate migrants passing through their territories.
Blinken made the announcement during a meeting of foreign ministers of the Los Angeles Declaration, an initiative launched by the United States to address regional migration flows, held in New York on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly.
Of the total funds, $369 million will be allocated to assist vulnerable refugees and migrants in host countries in the region.
The U.S. will also provide $10 million for a World Bank program that promotes economic development for refugees and their host communities.
The Secretary of State indicated that with this new contribution, the United States has invested more than 1.2 billion dollars during 2024 to advance the Los Angeles Declaration, which was signed in 2022 by twenty countries.
This commitment between the United States and other countries is based on cooperation to curb irregular migration and expand legal avenues for foreigners to make a living in Latin American or Caribbean countries.
Colombia: the country with the most Venezuelan migrants
According to the figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Colombia is the country that hosts the most Venezuelans.
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said at a meeting of foreign ministers in New York that his country is home to nearly three million Venezuelans, of whom 2.5 million have legal status.
Murillo added that the care of migrants in Colombia is equivalent to 1% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The foreign minister also stressed that Colombia is a transit country through which people of dozens of nationalities pass, so more work is needed with other nations to address the issue.
Blinken also announced the creation of a new secretariat, chaired on a rotating basis by Colombia, which will be responsible for establishing the priorities of the Los Angeles Declaration for 2025.
“I am confident that together we can move towards a continent where migration is a free and legitimate choice, where all people can live in safety, dignity and opportunity,” said the head of US diplomacy.
Previous US aid to Venezuelans
Since 2017, the United States government has provided more than $2.9 billion in humanitarian aid for Venezuelans inside and outside the country, according to the report. Regional crisis over the situation in Venezuela published in March 2024.
On May 7, the Joe Biden administration approved $83 million in humanitarian aid funds for Venezuelans through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Through a statement from the US State Department, it was learned that the funds would be used to help Venezuelans both within the country and those who emigrated to countries in the region.
These $83 million were part of the total of $459 million that the U.S. government would provide to assist vulnerable populations and all migrants in Latin America.
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2024-09-25 21:01:08
