Venezuela Migrants: Peru struggling to deal with flow of people from Venezuela

World
Europe

02:24

Record numbers of Venezuelan migrants are flooding into Ecuador and Peru. The governments of both countries have said they will require migrants to hold passports -- rather than just national identification cards -- to enter. From Lima, CGTN's Dan Collyns reports.

Inundated with increasing numbers of Venezuelans crossing its border every day, Ecuador was the first to require migrants have passports to enter the country. Until now, they had been able to enter more easily with just national identity cards. Peru quickly followed by saying it would impose the same requirement in a week's time:

MAURO MEDINA PERUVIAN INTERIOR MINISTER "This is not because of a hostile attitude, discrimination, authoritarianism or a police state. What we want to do is completely identify each and every citizen who enters our country."

Medina said the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants were decent people, but some criminals have entered Peru with forged identification documents. He said about 20 percent of Venezuelans entered Peru without a passport. Immigration officials say there are nearly 400,000 Venezuelans in Peru, many fleeing the economic crisis.

But that number is on the rise. Earlier this week, more than 5,000 migrants crossed the border in one day:

DAN COLLYNS LIMA "As record numbers of Venezuelans are crossing Peru's northern border with Ecuador, here in Lima, hundreds have been queueing for days to get their papers in order. They say the system has been overwhelmed by the influx of so many applicants."

Here they wait in line for Interpol to run a criminal record check which they need to apply for a visa.

NORVIS PAREDES VENEZUELAN MIGRANT "I want to bring my two children who are in Venezuela. That's why I need my papers in order so I can go and get them."

Some local residents fear Venezuelan migrants are going to take their jobs.

ALI COLINA VENEZUELAN MIGRANT "The minimum wage in Venezuelan isn't enough to buy a kilo of milk that's why the majority want to leave, especially the young and the professionals."

As Venezuela's social and economic crisis deepens, countries like Peru can expect many more new arrivals. Dan Collyns, CGTN, Lima.