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Updated September 2, 2020
The Venezuela Regional Humanitarian Crisis and COVID-19
The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Venezuela has
their country. More than 2.5 million Venezuelans in
elevated congressional concerns about the country, which
neighboring countries lack identification documents,
remains in a deep crisis under the authoritarian rule of
making them vulnerable to exploitation. With separate
President Nicolás Maduro. Even before the Coronavirus
global compacts on refugees and migration adopted in
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Venezuelans were
2018, experts urge timely and predictable funding from the
facing a lack of food, medicine and health, and access to
international community to support efforts by host
social services. Political persecution, hyperinflation, loss of
governments to assist Venezuelan refugees and migrants
income, and oppressive poverty also contributed to a dire
and the communities sheltering them.
situation. According to household surveys, the percentage
of Venezuelans living in poverty increased from 48.4% in
Figure 1. Venezuelan Migrants and Asylum Seekers:
2014 to 96% in 2019 (80% in extreme poverty).
Flows to the Region and Beyond
Millions require humanitarian assistance, with pregnant and
nursing women, those with chronic illnesses, indigenous
people, migrants, children under five, and people with
disabilities particularly in need. In February 2020, the U.N.
World Food Program (WFP) released an assessment
showing that in 2019, 9.3 million Venezuelans were food
insecure, with 2.3 million people at severe levels. Many
Venezuelans reported that the price of food presented more
of an obstacle than the availability of food. Many
households did not have reliable access to potable water
and reported interruptions in electrical service and gas
supplies. With a collapsed health system, overall health
indicators, particularly infant and maternal mortality rates,
worsened. Previously eradicated diseases such as diphtheria
and measles also became a major concern.
Displacement
As of August 2020, U.N. agencies estimated that more than
5.1 million Venezuelans had fled the country. Roughly 4.3
million (about 85%) of the refugees and migrants were
hosted in Latin American and Caribbean countries (see
Figure 1), with more than 40% in Colombia. While
Source: CRS.
responses to the Venezuelan arrivals have varied by country
and continue to evolve with events on the ground, the
Coronavirus Disease 2019
displacement crisis has affected the entire region, as
COVID-19 emerged in Venezuela in mid-March 2020 and
neighboring countries, particularly Colombia, strain to
added a complicated layer to the country’s humanitarian
absorb arrivals often malnourished and in poor health.
crisis. In general, vulnerable, displaced populations live in
Although the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
conditions that make them particularly susceptible to
(UNHCR) does not consider most Venezuelans to be
COVID-19 and present significant challenges to response
refugees, it asserts that a significant number need
and containment. The Pan American Health Organization
humanitarian assistance, international protection, and
and the U.N. Children’s Fund have led the international
opportunities to regularize their status. Border closures,
COVID-19 response in Venezuela, prioritizing capacity-
quarantine orders, and other limitations on movement in
building support for hospitals as well as health, water, and
place due to COVID-19 may affect displacement numbers.
sanitation interventions for vulnerable populations. In
neighboring countries, UNHCR, the International
Venezuela’s exodus has become an unprecedented
Organization for Migration (IOM), and their partners have
displacement crisis for the Western Hemisphere, which has
sought to address the immediate public health needs of
in place some of the highest protection standards in the
refugees and migrants, as well as the displaced prompted by
world for displaced and vulnerable persons. The countries
the virus, while trying to reduce the spread and conduct
in the region have been under pressure to examine their
information and awareness campaigns.
respective migration and asylum policies and to address, as
a region, the legal status of Venezuelans who have fled
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The Venezuela Regional Humanitarian Crisis and COVID-19
COVID-19 prevention measures that restrict movement,
Protection and assistance needs have been significant for
such as physical distancing, quarantine orders, and border
arrivals and host communities. Services provided have
closures, have disrupted the informal economy, cross-
varied by country but have included support for reception
border economic activity, and remittances. They have also
centers and options for shelter; emergency relief items,
made it difficult for Venezuelans to meet their basic needs.
legal assistance with asylum applications and other matters;
Reportedly, as of August 2020, as many as 95,000
protection from violence and exploitation; and the creation
Venezuelans may have attempted to return to Venezuela,
of temporary work programs and education opportunities.
particularly from Colombia, as loss of livelihoods and
In addition, the Quito Process, a regional coordinating
economic decline followed the pandemic.
mechanism, has helped harmonize policies among host
countries and donors and scale up the humanitarian
Venezuelan returnees have presented challenges in border
response to refugees and migrants.
areas, particularly absent the establishment of a formal
returns process. Many Venezuelans have used informal
U.S. Humanitarian Assistance
border crossings, which present protection risks due to the
Since FY2017, the U.S. government has provided more
presence of armed groups. Venezuelan returnees, arriving
than $610.6 million in humanitarian and emergency food
primarily along borders Venezuela shares with Brazil and
assistance in response to the Venezuela regional crisis (as
Colombia, are required to quarantine in temporary shelters
of May 2020). This included $534.4 million to support
for 14 days. Although some critical assistance has been
Venezuelan refugees and migrants who fled to other
provided at points of entry, relief agencies have expressed
countries (or for the communities hosting them) and, since
concern about Venezuela’s capacity and willingness to
FY2018, $76.2 million for humanitarian relief activities
ensure sufficient quarantine and health safety in the
inside Venezuela. The U.S. military has twice deployed a
reintegration of returnees. Human Rights Watch and others
naval hospital ship on medical support deployments. In
have reported abuses of returning migrants by Venezuelan
addition, as of August 21, 2020, in COVID-19-related
security forces.
humanitarian assistance, the United States provided $13.7
million for the response in Venezuela and $103.3 million
International Humanitarian Response in Venezuela
(of a total $141 million that included other COVID-19
Although in 2018 the Maduro government rejected large
health and economic funding) to the region. As with
amounts of humanitarian assistance, beginning in 2019, it
international humanitarian standards, U.S. humanitarian
permitted U.N. humanitarian entities and partners to
assistance is provided on the basis of need and according to
increase their humanitarian and protection activities. The
principles of universality, impartiality, and independence.
U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(UNOCHA) set up its coordination structure, including
Issues for Congress
regional hubs in the country, in February 2019. As of
Congressional interest has focused on the humanitarian
August 2020, the humanitarian space had expanded to 129
response in the region, the political situation in Venezuela,
operational actors implementing 234 projects. The 2020
and displacement. In the 116th Congress, oversight is likely
Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is a collective effort by
to continue on U.S. humanitarian assistance, as well as on
UNOCHA and implementing partners to coordinate and
contingency planning. Countries in the region (as well as
scale up a response for the most vulnerable people across
the United States and humanitarian actors) remain keenly
the country (with assistance in the areas of health, water,
aware that the spread of COVID-19 or a sudden increase in
sanitation and hygiene, food security, nutrition, protection,
arrival numbers in excess of a country’s capacity could
shelter and nonfood items, and education.) The 2020 HRP
affect border management and safety, and limit the
appeals for $762.5 million, of which $674.6 million is for
acceptance of additional Venezuelans.
adjusted humanitarian requirements and $87.9 million is for
the COVID-19 response, and targets assistance for 4.5
Congress has supported the Administration’s efforts on the
million of the country’s most vulnerable people.
restoration of democracy in Venezuela without U.S.
military intervention in the country and provision of
International Humanitarian Regional Response
humanitarian support to Venezuelans, although some
UNHCR and IOM coordinate the international response to
Members have expressed concerns about the humanitarian
the needs of displaced Venezuelans and host communities
impact of sanctions, particularly during the COVID-19
in the region, which includes governments, U.N. entities,
pandemic. In December 2019, Congress enacted P.L. 116-
nongovernmental organizations (national and international),
94, which incorporates the Senate-reported version of the
the Red Cross Movement, faith-based organizations, and
VERDAD Act (S. 1025), a comprehensive bill to address
civil society. The Regional Interagency Coordination
the crisis in Venezuela. The VERDAD Act incorporated a
Platform provides a common humanitarian framework for
House-passed measure authorizing FY2020 humanitarian
assistance. The 2020 Regional Refugee and Migrant
assistance to Venezuela (H.R. 854). The House-passed
Response Plan (RMRP) launched in December 2019
version of the FY2021 Department of State, Foreign
appealed for $1.35 billion to reach 4 million of the most
Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill,
vulnerable across Latin America and the Caribbean. As of
Division A of H.R. 7608 (H.Rept. 116-444), approved on
July 2020, the updated RMRP funding appeal increased to
July 24, 2020, urged the USAID Administrator to respond
$1.4 billion, of which $968.8 million was for adjusted
to humanitarian needs in Venezuela and the region.
humanitarian requirements and $438.8 million was for the
COVID-19 response.
Rhoda Margesson, Acting Section Research Manager
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The Venezuela Regional Humanitarian Crisis and COVID-19
IF11029
Clare Ribando Seelke, Specialist in Latin American
Affairs
Disclaimer
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11029 · VERSION 4 · UPDATED