The US president's move is his latest gambit to oust counterpart Nicolas Maduro from power. Meanwhile, Colombia says it will grant citizenship to babies born there to Venezuelan parents and thus at risk of statelessness.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Smialowski
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US President Donald Trump's administration on Monday froze all assets held by Venezuela's government in the US.
Trump's order affects "all property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person."
The governments of the US and many Latin American and EU countries have called on Maduro to step down and allow Venezuela's recognized opposition leader, Juan Guaido, to assume the presidency.
'These defenseless children'
The executive order came amid an ongoing human rights crisis in and around Venezuela: More than 4 million people have fled the country due to economic chaos and food shortages.
Colombian President Ivan Duque announced on Monday that his country will grant citizenship to up to 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents in the country on or after August 19, 2015. More than 1.4 million Venezuelans have fled across the border into Colombia to escape ongoing conflict and chronic shortages in their homeland.
Laws prohibit children born to parents in Colombia illegally from accessing birthright citizenship. Forty-seven percent of Venezuelans in Colombia lack legal status.
Children born to Venezuelans abroad have a right to Venezuelan citizenship, but it has become difficult to obtain. Venezuela severed diplomatic ties with Colombia and no longer operates consulates there. Statelessness would have left the children unable to travel internationally, buy homes, have legal jobs or marry as adults.
The measure will run for two years or until "the circumstances impeding the registration of boys and girls as Venezuelans cease."
"Today we support these defenseless children who want to have the right to a nationality and proudly tell them that they are Colombian," Duque said Monday. He added that his government had administered 1.2 million vaccines and enrolled more than 182,000 children in school.
International accords require Colombia to provide citizenship to people at risk of statelessness. Advocacy groups have pressured the government to comply with such treaties for several months.
The issues of stateless children hasn't surfaced in other South American nations that receive large numbers of Venezuelans, including Peru, because many have laws that allow babies born in within the borders of their territory to obtain citizenship regardless of their parents' migration status.
Venezuelans find refuge, solidarity in Colombia
Colombia's Maicao is infamous for its drug and people smuggling, violence and sexual exploitation. Venezuelan refugees living on the streets are an easy target. But a UNHCR-run reception center is offering a way out.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Waiting in line
Venezuelan migrants wait in line to have their registration number and details checked before receiving their lunch. The UN's World Food Program serves food three times a day.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Hanging out to dry
Rows of tents provided by the UNCHR for the refugees line the reception center in Maicao, providing as much comfort as is possible in these circumstances.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Looking for a way out
The recently inaugurated reception center in Maicao in the La Guajira region — a collaboration between the UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency and the Colombian authorities — is the first of its kind in Colombia. Local and national government agencies called on the UNHCR for aid because of the steady influx of Venezuelan migrants and refugees crossing the border into Maicao.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Lack of purpose
Domingo Antonio Fernandez Lopez, a 72-year-old former journalist and professor, used to hear about and see refugees in the news, but never thought he would end up in a shelter as well. Having worked most of his life, he now feels useless. Every morning he gets up, waits to have breakfast, and waters the area near the entrance of his tent because the dust is affecting his lungs and eyes.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Hoping for a better life
Rusmari Luna Pereira brought a bracelet with her from Venezuela her mother made for her for the trip. She had to leave with her children because she couldn’t provide for them anymore. She said some people in Venezuela give their children to other families, others abandoned them on the streets. She said she found those stories hard to believe but now understands how desperate some of them are.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Dreaming of home
Rosmery Castillo left Venezuela a month ago with two of her children and left a third with her brother. She was a nurse in Valencia but her minimum wage was wiped out by high inflation, leaving her with almost nothing to buy food. She plans to return to Venezuela as soon as the situation improves to be with her mother and grandmother, who she had to leave behind.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Sharing the will to survive
Rosmery Castillo (34, left) and Vanesa Añez Añez (19) did not know each other when they both arrived at the UNHCR reception center at the same time. They were placed in a tent to share.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
A helping hand
A Colombian Red Cross clinic at the reception center caters to health issues the migrants and refugees may suffer from such as lung problems caused by the dust from the La Guajira Desert.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Solidarity and understanding
Xenophobia is always hovering in the background, but La Guajira has a historical connection with Maracaibo in Venezuela. Many people from La Guajira moved to Venezuela during the Colombian FARC conflict. There is solidarity among people of both sides. There are also many IDPs in Colombia, who understand what it is like for the Venezuelans to be in this predicament.
Image: DW/Eline van Nes
Taking the legal route
The official crossing between Colombia and Venezuela is marked by a few fences and soldiers standing guard. There is one official way to cross between Colombia and Venezuela, but some 150 illegal shortcuts, many of which end right in front of the official crossing.
