Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia: Opportunities and Challenges

On February 8, 2021, Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez announced that Colombia will grant temporary protected legal status (Estatuto de Protección Temporal, TPS in English) to Venezuelan migrants for ten years. The decision has been applauded by the international community and sets a historic precedent for the region.

Please join the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program, the Colombian American Association, and the Venezuelan American Association of the U.S. for a discussion of the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis and the implementation of TPS. The conversation will focus on the impact of migrants from the standpoint of human rights and economic and cultural integration. Panelists will also reflect on the challenges of implementing TPS, the domestic and international resources necessary to support the policy, and ways that the public and private sectors can collaborate in integrating Venezuelan migrants and refugees..

Introductory Remarks

Adriana Mejía Hernández, Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs of Colombia

Speakers

Lucas Gómez, Advisor to the President of Colombia for the Colombian-Venezuelan Border

Elizabeth Eyster, Deputy Representative for Colombia, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Dominika Arseniuk, Country Director for Colombia, Ecuador and Panama, Norwegian Refugee Council

Moderator

Cynthia Arnson, Director, Latin American Program, Wilson Center