Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-pfhbr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-10T22:29:47.209Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Cash Rules Everything: Money and Migration in the Colombian-Venezuelan Borderlands

from Part I - Migration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2021

Tesseltje de Lange
Affiliation:
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
Willem Maas
Affiliation:
York University, Toronto
Annette Schrauwen
Affiliation:
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Get access

Summary

Since 2015, over five million Venezuelans have fled their country in an attempt to survive the near collapse of the country’s economy. A majority of these migrants have relocated to geographically proximate countries in Latin America, and as such, millions have been forced to transit through the Colombian–Venezuelan borderlands in order to arrive at their final destination. Extending from the Amazon to the Caribbean, this vast binational region plays host to a myriad of state and armed non-state actors who compete and collaborate for control of resources, people, and territory. Money plays an important role for Venezuelan migrants who transit through or settle in the borderlands. Their access to money, or lack thereof, dictates how and where they enter, transit through, and ultimately settle in Colombia or beyond. Even for those migrants lacking financial any meaningful resources, both Colombian and Venezuelan authorities and other armed non-state actors in the borderlands have found a variety of ways to regulate, victimize, and profit from their entry, settlement, and incorporation into local informal economies.

Type
Chapter
Information
Money Matters in Migration
Policy, Participation, and Citizenship
, pp. 74 - 92
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amnesty International. 2019. “Welcome Venezuela: People fleeing massive human Rights Violations in Venezuela.” May 8. At www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/0244/2019/en/Google Scholar
Bahar, Dany and Dooley, Meagan. 2019. “Venezuela refugee crisis to become the largest and most underfunded in modern history.” December 9. At www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2019/12/09/venezuela-refugee-crisis-to-become-the-largest-and-most-underfunded-in-modern-history/Google Scholar
Bahar, Dany, Dooley, Meagan, and Selee, Andrew. 2020. “Venezuelan migration, crime, and misperceptions: A review of data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile.” September 14. At www.brookings.edu/research/venezuelan-migration-crime-and-misperceptions-a-review-of-data-from-colombia-peru-and-chile/Google Scholar
Bahar, Dany, Ibañez, Ana María, and Rozo, Sandra. 2020. “Give Me Your Tired and Your Poor: Impact of a Large-Scale Amnesty Program for Undocumented Refugees.” CESifo Working Paper No. 8601.Google Scholar
Barráez, Sebastiana. 2020. “Un viaje por la frontera de Venezuela hasta Colombia: las extorsiones de los militares y del ELN, más el cobro en pesos y una carita feliz.” November 8. At www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2020/11/08/un-viaje-por-la-frontera-de-venezuela-hasta-colombia-las-extorsiones-de-los-militares-y-del-eln-mas-el-cobro-en-pesos-y-una-carita-feliz/Google Scholar
Bonilla-Tinoco, Laura Juliana, Aguirre-Lemus, Melissa, and Fernández-Niño, Julián Alfredo. 2020. “Venezuelan migrant population in Colombia: Health indicators in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.F1000Research 9, no. 684: 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chauvin, Sébastien and Garcés‐Mascareñas, Blanca. 2014. “Becoming less illegal: Deservingness frames and undocumented migrant incorporation.Sociology Compass 8: 422432.Google Scholar
De León Vargas, Georgina Isabel. 2018. “Diaspora Venezolana, Cartagena Más Allá de las Cifras.Revista Jurídica Mario Alario D’Filippo 10, no. 20: 111119.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2018. “Alerta Temprana N° 040–18.” April 19.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2019a. “Alerta Temprana N° 011–19.” February 15.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2019b. “Alerta Temprana N° 029–19.” July 11.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2019c. “Alerta Temprana N° 037–19.” September 12.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2019d. “Alerta Temprana N° 039–19.” September 16.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2019e. “Alerta Temprana N° 024–19.” February 15.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2020a. “Alerta Temprana N° 011–2020.” March 13.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2020b. “Alerta Temprana N° 034–2020.” August 4.Google Scholar
Defensoría del Pueblo. 2020c. “Alerta Temprana N° 035–2020.” August 5.Google Scholar
Delgado, Jorge. 2015. “Counterinsurgency and the limits of state-building: An analysis of Colombia’s policy of territorial consolidation, 2006–2012.Small Wars & Insurgencies 26, no. 3: 408428.Google Scholar
Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE). 2019. “Boletín Técnico: Medición de empleo informal y seguridad social.” December 12. At www.dane.gov.co/files/investigaciones/boletines/ech/ech_informalidad/bol_ech_informalidad_ago19_oct19.pdfGoogle Scholar
El Heraldo. 2015. “Las fronteras no existen para la Gran Nación Wayuu.” September 6. At www.elheraldo.co/nacional/las-fronteras-no-existen-para-la-gran-nacion-wayuu-215788Google Scholar
El País. 2017. “Venezuela, Crimen sin frontera.” At www.elpais.com.co/especiales/venezuela-crimen-sin-frontera/Google Scholar
Extra Boyacá. 2019. “Torturados y decapitados en medio de una trocha: con sevicia fueron asesinados.” May 25. At https://boyaca.extra.com.co/noticias/judicial/torturados-y-decapitados-en-medio-de-una-trocha-con-sevicia-529979Google Scholar
García Pinzón, Viviana, and Mantilla, Jorge. 2020. “Contested borders: Organized crime, governance, and bordering practices in Colombia-Venezuela borderlands.” Trends in Organized Crime. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-020-09399-3Google Scholar
Guataquí, Juan Carlos, García-Suaza, Andrés, Cartagena, Cindy Vanessa Ospina, Aguirre, Diana Isabel Londoño, Lesmes, Paul Rodríguez, and Baquero, Juan Pablo. 2017. “Características de los migrantes de Venezuela a Colombia.Observatorio Laboral de la Universidad del Rosario Informe 3: 19.Google Scholar
Hernández, Rosalinda. 2019. “Frontera: Mientras los colectivos armados buscan la paz, los ciudadanos viven aterrorizados.” December 27. At www.fronteraviva.com/frontera-mientras-los-colectivos-armados-buscan-la-paz-los-ciudadanos-viven-aterrorizados/Google Scholar
Holland, Alisha, Peters, Margaret, and Zhou, Yang-Yang. 2020. “Left Out: How Political Ideology Affects Support for Migrants in Colombia.” Working Paper. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3803052Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch. 2019. “The War in Catatumbo: Abuses by Armed Groups Against Civilians Including Venezuelan Exiles in Northeastern Colombia.” August 8. At www.hrw.org/report/2019/08/08/war-catatumbo/abuses-armed-groups-against-civilians-including-venezuelan-exilesGoogle Scholar
Human Rights Watch. 2020. “‘The Guerrillas Are the Police’: Social Control and Abuses by Armed Groups in Colombia’s Arauca Province and Venezuela’s Apure State.” January 22. At www.hrw.org/report/2020/01/22/guerrillas-are-police/social-control-and-abuses-armed-groups-colombias-araucaGoogle Scholar
Ibañez, Ana María. 2018. Migración desde Venezuela a Colombia. Washington, DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Ibáñez, Ana María and Vélez, Carlos Eduardo. 2008. “Civil conflict and forced migration: The micro determinants and welfare losses of displacement in Colombia.World Development 36, no. 4: 659676.Google Scholar
Idler, Annette. 2019. Borderland Battles Violence, Crime, and Governance at the Edges of Colombia’s War. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Idler, Annette and Hochmüller, Markus. 2020. “Covid-19 in Colombia’s borderlands and the western hemisphere: Adding instability to a double crisis.Journal of Latin American Geography 19, no. 3: 280288.Google Scholar
InSight Crime. 2020. “Mexican Cartels – Venezuela’s Uninvited Guests Here to Stay.” April 3. At www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/mexico-cartels-uninvited-guest-venezuela/.Google Scholar
Judex, Karina and Herrera, Cristian. 2015. “Venezolanos y menores, tras la coca del Catatumbo (III parte).” September 13. At www.laopinion.com.co/region/venezolanos-y-menores-tras-la-coca-del-catatumbo-iii-parte-98258Google Scholar
Knight, Brian and Tribin, Ana. 2020. “Immigration and Violent Crime: Evidence from the Colombia-Venezuela Border.” NBER Working Paper No. w27620.Google Scholar
La Opinión. 2016. “El Callejón de la muerte, la droga y la prostitución.” December 4. At www.laopinion.com.co/cucuta/el-callejon-de-la-muerte-la-droga-y-la-prostitucion-123852Google Scholar
La Opinión. 2017. “Crece la llegada de venezolanos al Catatumbo para raspar coca.” November 21. At www.laopinion.com.co/region/crece-la-llegada-de-venezolanos-al-catatumbo-para-raspar-coca-144106Google Scholar
La Opinión. 2018. “La frontera, una zona codiciada por las bandas criminals.” January 15. At www.laopinion.com.co/frontera/la-frontera-una-zona-codiciada-por-las-bandas-criminales-147264Google Scholar
La Opinión. 2019. “Pelea entre trabajadoras sexuales dejó una muerta en Ocaña.” July 12. At www.laopinion.com.co/judicial/pelea-entre-trabajadoras-sexuales-dejo-una-muerta-en-ocana-158106Google Scholar
Lacroix, Pauline, Bongard, Pascal, and Rush, Chris. 2011. “Engaging armed non-state actors in mechanisms for protection.Forced Migration Review 37: 1012.Google Scholar
Larratt-Smith, Charles. 2020. “Navigating formal and informal processes: Civic organizations, armed nonstate actors, and nested governance in Colombia.Latin American Politics and Society 62, no. 2: 7598.Google Scholar
Migración Colombia. 2020. “Más de 1 Millón 825 Mil Venezolanos Estarían Radicados en Colombia.” April 3. At www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/noticias/mas-de-1-millon-825-mil-venezolanos-estarian-radicados-en-colombiaGoogle Scholar
Millano, Jesika. 2018. “La riesgosa travesía de Maicao a Maracaibo.” October 7. At www.elheraldo.co/barranquilla/la-riesgosa-travesia-de-maicao-maracaibo-550660Google Scholar
Miranda, Boris. 2019. “Crisis en Venezuela: cómo las mafias y grupos armados de Colombia se aprovechan de los migrantes venezolanos.” September 19. At www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-49486230Google Scholar
Pineda, Esther, and Keymer, Ávila. 2019. “Aproximaciones a la migración colombo-venezolana: Desigualdad, Prejuicio y Vulnerabilidad.Clivatge 7: 4697.Google Scholar
Rodríguez Suárez, Aldair José. 2020. “Migrantes venezolanos regresan a Colombia por trochas de La Guajira.” September 28. At www.alertacaribe.com/noticias/migrantes-venezolanos-regresan-colombia-por-trochas-de-la-guajiraGoogle Scholar
Straka, Tomás. 2020. “When Caracas was a safe haven from tyranny.” April 20. At www.americasquarterly.org/article/when-caracas-was-a-safe-haven-from-tyranny/.Google Scholar
Taraciuk Broner, Tamara. 2018. “Los caminantes venezolanos – Huir a pie de un país en ruinas.” September 5. At www.hrw.org/es/news/2018/09/05/los-caminantes-venezolanosGoogle Scholar
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 2016. “UNHCR viewpoint: ‘refugee’ or ‘migrant’ – Which is right?.” July 11. At www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2016/7/55df0e556/unhcr-viewpoint-refugee-migrant-right.htmlGoogle Scholar
Van Praag, Oriana. 2019. “Understanding the Venezuelan refugee crisis.” September 13. At www.wilsoncenter.org/article/understanding-the-venezuelan-refugee-crisisGoogle Scholar
Zulver, Julia and Idler, Annette. 2020. “Gendering the border effect: The double impact of Colombian insecurity and the Venezuelan refugee crisis.Third World Quarterly 41, no. 7: 11221140.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×