Venezuelan Migration in Florencia: Social and Economic Impact.

In 2013, when Nicolás Maduro’s government assumed the authority in Venezuela, the economic and political crisis provoked a massive migration that impacted several countries of the region, including Colombia. In 2017, this situation intensified, and as in other Colombian cities, received an important number of Venezuelan migrants. According to recent data, the population of Venezuelan people in Florencia reached 550 people in 2019, which caused the necessity of speeding the processes of migratory regularization. Initially, concerns about the effect of this migration in the local labor market are stronger than ever. Meanwhile, some citizens feared that the wages and the Colombian employment could be affected, others argued that the incorporation of a young manpower could be a fundamental part to the economy. Nowadays, economical studies confirm that in the long term, migration could bring important economic benefits, if the migrants can integrate fully into the formal labor market. 

In response to this increasing in the migrant population, Florencia has implemented several attention actions. In 2020, an office called “Punto visible” was inaugurated in the city center, more specifically in “Casa de la Justicia” and is destined to give orientation and support to immigrants in their process of regularization. Also, the department of health and human services, in the collaboration with the mayor office, the membership process was begun to the health system for the immigrants of Venezuela with the Special Permission of Permanence (SPP) valid. 

Access to the health system had been a priority, Fidel Prieto Valencia, municipal health secretary, announced in 2020 a special journal denominated "Afiliación Salud Para Todos", which seeks to include Venezuelan migrants and vulnerable groups of the city, as displaced and indigenous people, in the subsidized health care system. This initiative was realized to guarantee that all residents, without caring about its migratory status, can access the health services.  

In economic terms, the impact of the Venezuelan migration in Colombia is meaningful. In 2022, the migration represented almost 2% of the country’s tax revenues, and it is projected that this percentage increases in the next few years. The Temporary Protection Status for Venezuelan Migrants has been fundamental to this process, allowing the regularization of thousands of immigrants and providing access to legal employment and other benefits.

Despite all the challenges, the Venezuelan immigrant integration in Florencia has been a constant process. Even though the majority works in the informal sector, an increasing number has become established in areas such as companies, hospitals, and offices, contributing actively to the local economy. Initiatives like the construction of social houses by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have been looking forward to improving the life quality of the immigrants and the local communities, promoting a healthy coexistence, and making social bonds. 

Overall, the Venezuelan migration has transformed Florencia, by creating challenges and opportunities for the population. Then, the response of the local authorities, including the willingness to integrate immigrants, is the key to build a future in which everyone, regardless the origin, can feel part of this community.