Catholic bishops in Peru address refugee issue

Catholic bishops in Peru, the country that is host to the world’s second-largest population of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, are calling on the government to implement fair immigration policies and stop discrimination.

"We call on the authorities to implement complete and fair immigration policies, which guarantee the human rights of these people on the move, at the same time we urge Peruvian society to put aside any attitude of rejection, xenophobia or discrimination", reads the Peruvian Episcopal Conference appeal ahead of World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

The day, first celebrated in 1914, is observed every year on the last Sunday of September to express support for people who are forced to flee their homes and to encourage Catholics worldwide to remember and pray for those displaced by conflict and persecution.

Humanity must build its future with the help of people who have left their homes in search of a better life, Pope Francis said in his message "Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees," for the 108th World Day of Migrants and Refugees to be celebrated this year on September 25.

The Peruvian Catholic bishops pointed out how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased social and economic differences in Peru, particularly "migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have seen their quality of life compromised, such as their access to rights to health, food, work, among others". 

The Peruvian bishops said that "the construction of the Kingdom of God requires the presence and participation of all his sons and daughters" and urged citizens "to know how to recognize the contribution that the migrants and refugees bring to our societies". 

The Peruvian Catholic bishops’ appeal also comes amid the August 10 political crisis for President Pedro Castillo and Congress.

The crisis revolves the approval of the “1350 Migration Law” expanding the criteria for deportation, permitting the expulsion of undocumented migrants and those migrants who have not taken the full COVID-19 vaccination regimen.

The majority of migrants affected by this new law are Venezuelans, who are more than 1.32 million and make the largest share of undocumented migrants in Peru, host to the world’s second-largest population of Venezuelan refugees and migrants after Colombia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

While the number of migrants from Venezuela is more than a million, the Special Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Peru reports that there have been only 531,000 requests for recognition of refugee status submitted to them. 

"Put aside any attitude of rejection"

UNHCR also reports that while the Peruvian government has periodically worked to regularize the Venezuelan population with free mobility, access to emergency healthcare, employment and education regardless of documentation, many in actuality face discrimination from among citizens and the anti-Venezuelan rhetoric by politicians during elections.

In 2020, the Minister of the Interior went so far as to call for a new police force just to tackle crimes committed by migrants. 

According to the UNHCR Peru Midyear report (January to June 2022) 14 bills related to human mobility have been presented in the Peruvian Congress. Of these, six are intended to amend the Migration Law on issues such as the obligations of foreigners in Peru and the right of access to housing. 

If approved, at least 400,000 Venezuelans would be at risk, the report states. 

Five other bills seek to establish various restrictions such as immediate expulsions and restrictions to work. 

However, there are three bills that would benefit the refugees and migrants in Peru for they deal with access to justice and protection of women and girls' survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. 

The Catholic bishops in their appeal also urged citizens to remember Peruvian migrants living abroad. 

"As bishops of Peru we join in prayer with the more than 3 million compatriots residing abroad and with the thousands of internally displaced people, encouraging them to continue to preserve and strengthen their faith, integrating, respecting and enriching the communities that generously welcome them," they said.

About 90% of the Venezuelans in Peru devote themselves to informal economic activities to support themselves.

The bishops added that they categorically stand in solidarity with all migrants of various nationalities present in Peru, particularly Venezuelan migrants and refugees. 

According to the September issue of the bishops conference’s Human Mobility Pastoral Newsletter, the Venezuelan exodus represents the largest migration crisis in the continent's recent history, with 6 million citizens forced to leave their country to seek better living conditions in neighboring countries. 

The worsening Venezuelan economic and political crisis has only increased the flow of migrants. Nearly six million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, equivalent to 20% of the country's population, according to a UN report.