The Venezuela Crisis – Where the refugees are headed, why we should care

The biggest migration in South American history is taking place and here is why it should matter to us. They are not just coming our way, but are putting enormous strain on their South American neighbors.

Looks like for now 200k are in the works for us. Considering the number we have pounding on the door, it’s probably small change. Better yet, I bet they don’t have the Marxist fever that at present is sweeping our land. Maybe a couple of these folks could chat with Bernie, Cortez and friends about how this Communism thing worked out for them.

Some four hundred thousand have claimed asylum from political persecution and violence, and another million have gained other forms of residency. Hundreds of thousands of others, however, lack legal residency, and with it, access to employment, education, and social services. It is one of the largest and swiftest mass migrations in Latin America’s history, and the United Nations has characterized the situation as a humanitarian crisis [PDF].

The chart shows 3.4 million refugees from Venezuela since 2015. That’s 10 percent of the population. 10 percent of the US population would be 33 million. The UN, the European Union and the US with allies should see this as a disaster and demand change.