Venezuela

The Biden administration announced a plan that will automatically reject all Venezuelans seeking asylum at the US border with Mexico if they enter the country without authorization. The deal will only benefit a fraction of asylum-seekers.

Residents from Colombia and Venezuela turned out in large numbers last week to welcome the reopening of their shared border to vehicles. Two commercial trucks, covered with the respective flags of each country, crossed the border point, marking the end of seven years of closure.

Latin America may become the next region to expose childhood clerical sexual abuse. Some victims have spent decades without coming forward because of the importance given to clergy in the community. But a growing number of people are creating support networks for survivors.

A growing number of people from Venezuela have been making the risky crossing through the Darién Gap in recent weeks. Jose Loya decided to make the difficult trek, citing xenophobia and discrimination as some of the main reasons why he chose to leave Peru, where he was living with his wife and child.

In contrast with the US, Chile has opted to provide COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 3 and up, expanding possibilities for vaccines available for very young children.

The Colombian government has revoked national IDs belonging to 43,000 Venezuelan immigrants, following a sweep to root out fraudulent citizenship. Those who applied for citizenship with documents deemed insufficient now face bureaucratic, social and legal hurdles — and possible deportation.

Venezuelan migrants and refugees who have moved to different parts of South America have struggled to get shots because of legal requirements at vaccination centers. And that could slow down efforts to stamp out the coronavirus in the region.