Venezuelan migrants flood into Ecuador ahead of new visa restrictions
BOGOTA (Reuters) - More than 85,000 Venezuelan migrants crossed into Ecuador from Colombia in the last month, ahead of new visa restrictions from Quito that took effect on Monday, the Colombian government said.
The number of migrants entering Ecuador at the Rumichaca border crossing reached 11,000 over the weekend, an uptick of 30% compared to normal traffic, according to figures from Colombia's migration agency.
Colombia is home to some 1.4 million Venezuelans who have fled a deep political and economic crisis that has caused long-running shortages of food and medicine. Hundreds of thousands of others have passed through the country on their way to Ecuador, Peru, Chile and other destinations.
Ecuador will now require a visa for Venezuelan citizens, part of stricter immigration policies being implemented in several countries.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelan-migrants-flood-ecuador-ahead-162116207.html