At the start of 2019, Government measures restricting the entry of Venezuelans went into effect, culminating in the requirement of an entry visa as of 26 August 2019 (Decree 826). In the days preceding this new measure, up to 6,000 Venezuelans a day were arriving in Ecuador, a number that dropped to less than 30 a day following the decree. This decrease in arrivals at official border crossing points was accompanied by a surge in irregular entries of several hundred per day, requiring the Office to reorient its interventions towards providing assistance and protection for people of concern in transit and in cities. The Office also increased its local integration programmes. Decree 826 provided for the registration of all Venezuelans, and the possibility to regularize the migratory status for those who had arrived regularly before 26 July 2019. However, the requirements of a passport, a certified (apostilled) clean criminal record and a $50 fee are difficult criteria for Venezuelans to fulfill and have resulted in a limited number of visas being issued. In addition, no provisions were made for the regularization of Venezuelans who entered the country irregularly or who arrived after 26 July with no passport.
Restrictions to the entry of Venezuelans must also be seen in the context of a contracting economy, in which Venezuelans were often perceived as competing with Ecuadorians for scarce jobs and were blamed for reported or perceived increases in crime rates. The year also saw protests and social unrest linked to austerity measures introduced following an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). False stories were circulated across social media, claiming that Venezuelans were receiving Government assistance while subsidies for Ecuadorians were cut.
In parallel, throughout 2019, Colombians continued to seek refuge in Ecuador in view of the continuing violence in Colombia, particularly in border areas. Early 2019 saw the mass displacement of several hundreds of Colombians from Valle de Cauca to Palma Real in Esmeraldas province. In June, some 100 people of concern, mainly Colombians, occupied an area outside of the UNHCR office in Quito to demand resettlement. The occupation lasted for a month and severely strained UNHCR’s relationship with local community members.