LIMA, (Reuters) – The government of Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra is going to start barring Venezuelan migrants from entering the country unless they have passports, two government sources said yesterday, following a similar decision in neighbouring Ecuador.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the measure aims to curb a surge in immigration from crisis-stricken Venezuela that has driven hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Brazil.
Members of the Andean Commu-nity – which includes Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru – currently allow citizens to cross borders between member countries with only their national ID cards. That has been a significant advantage for Venezuelan migrants, who struggle to obtain passports amid chronic shortages.
One of the sources said an announcement in Peru would likely be made later yesterday or today.
