Locals say it’s the same scene every night in this small town along the highway that connects Colombia’s busiest border crossing to the country’s interior.“People see such a need to leave their homes that they are going on foot.”
After two daysAfter a two-day trek from the Venezuelan border, migrants prepare to sleep outside in the cold highlands. La Laguna, Colombia. Pu Ying Huang for VICE News.
“It’s not just the border anymore, but the whole country.”
He said the number of Venezuelans in his country grew from about 100,000 in December 2017 to 415,000 in September 2018.Deepening hunger, violence and economic crisis at home have pushed more and more people to leave Venezuela without the means to pay their passage.Read: Venezuelans are flooding into Colombia — and it’s starting to feel like a refugee crisisNow these neighboring countries find themselves saddled with a steady trickle of Venezuelans towing luggage down their highways. They walk and hitch rides along highways, frustrating each new attempt by regional governments to rein in the runaway crisis.Colombia has all but conceded its inability to control or measure the flow over its border with Venezuela. Brazil was forced to deploy its military to the border after violence broke out between locals and migrants. Peru and Ecuador in August implemented controls on arriving Venezuelans but had to backtrack when large populations accumulated at their borders and many migrants defied the rules."The numbers of the Venezuelan migration continue growing every day."
Venezuelan migrants rush to board a cargo truck that has offered them a ride farther down the highway. Pu Ying Huang for VICE News
CROSSING THE HIGHLANDS
Luis Lugo, 19, wears what clothing he has to protect himself from the cold wind and unfiltered sun of the high mountains. Pu Ying Huang for VICE News.
They flagged every vehicle that passed for a ride. Finally, after 14 hours of walking, a white pickup truck stopped. The driver said he could only fit eight people in his bed, but he didn’t protest as all 13 clamored in. They drove across the mountain pass and back down into the jungle on the other side.“My feet feel broken.”
A LONG ROAD
Miguel Hernando, 27, examines his foot after walking three days up and down the mountains from the Venezuelan-Colombian border. Pu Ying Huang for VICE News.
Alejandra Agrinzones, 22, receives clothing donations for her children during her stop at the Holy Spirit Refuge in Tunja. Pu Ying Huang for VICE News