Venezuela Crisis: Colombia, Brazil and Peru hold meeting on migrants

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Officials from Colombia, Brazil and Peru have been meeting in Bogota, seeking a solution to a migration exodus. Over 2 million Venezuelans have fled their country's economic and political crisis, with neighboring countries particularly vulnerable to the migrant tide. CGTN's Michelle Begue reports from Bogota with the details.

Officials from Colombia, Peru and Brazil are in agreement: they do not want to close their borders to Venezuelan migrants.

CHRISTIAN KRUGER, DIRECTOR MIGRATION COLOMBIA "We are not stigmatizing a population, we want to generate order and security, not only for the countries that receive the migrants, but to the migrants who are arriving. We want to give opportunities to these people who are leaving their country because of great needs."

The statement was made in Bogota, Colombia at the end of a two-day meeting between migration authorities from the region.

According to official estimates, more than a million Venezuelan migrants have entered Colombia over the past 15 months many of them trying to flee Venezuela's economic and political crisis which has led to food and medicine shortages.

EDUARDO SEVILLA, SUPERINTENDENT MIGRATION PERU "Colombia has received the most migrants, followed by Peru. We have received 414,011 Venezuelan citizens up until Monday and 78 thousand already have documents to stay for one year."

During this week's private meetings, each country talked about the impact the migration wave has had on their health system, education and security. Authorities claim some Venezuelans who are applying for temporary visas are doing so in more than one country.

One of the solutions that came out of the discussions is to create a regional data base that will allow officials to share information on the Venezuelan migrants.

Colombia's Director of Migration insisted none of the measures was meant to keep Venezuelans out. Although, in recent weeks, Ecuador and Peru took moves to tighten border entry rules.

CHRISTIAN KRUGER, DIRECTOR MIGRATION COLOMBIA "Controls only generate more illegality, if I put more prerequisites to migration, especially to those migrants who are doing this out of necessity or hunger - it won't stop the migration."

Officials also called for financial support from the international community.

MICHELLE BEGUE BOGOTA "Another meeting will take place next week in Quito, Ecuador. This time reportedly with the foreign ministers of each country. Michelle Begue, CGTN, Bogota.