Colombia and Peru have taken in more Venezuelan migrants than any other country. But as the coronavirus spreads, the story of their warm welcome threatens to become one of xenophobia and exclusion. What are governments doing to prevent that? How is the pandemic changing life on the ground for migrants in Colombia and Peru? AQ’s Editor-in-chief Brian Winter discussed the challenging situation with Feline Freier, a migration expert in Lima, and Lala Lovera, a migrant advocate in Bogotá.
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Guests:
Lala Lovera is the founder of the Fundación Comparte por una Vida Colombia
Luisa Feline Freier is a migration expert and an assistant professor at the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima
Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly
Background reading:
- “NEW AQ: The Urgent Effort to Integrate Latin America’s Migrants”
- “For Migrants in Latin America, Public Health Risks Go Beyond the Coronavirus,” by Luisa Feline Freier
- “The Backlash to Venezuelan Migration Is Here,” by Brian Winter
