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A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 23 OctOber 2019
Mounting Venezuela exodus sparks fears of rising xenophobia

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO and increasingly embold-
Associated Press ened groups that otherwise
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Freddy would have been less will-
Brito had just finished belt- ing to carry out acts of this
ing out tunes on a bus in nature," said Sarah Dear-
Peru's capital and was dorff Miller, a senior fellow
crossing a street on his one at Refugees International.
good leg when the driver The government of Peru is
of a blue taxi sped up and working with the Venezue-
veered toward the singer. lan ambassador appointed
"Veneco!" the man yelled, by that country's opposition
using a derogatory word to document and investi-
for Venezuelans. "Get out gate cases, but high-rank-
of here!" ing officials have rejected
Brito narrowly dodged the the notion that restricting
car, but it still brushed his entry in itself leads to xeno-
body and sent his prized phobic behavior.
blue cassette player filled "There's no evidence that
with the songs that in a pre- shows the government has
vious lifetime made him al- fueled any act of xenopho-
most famous in Venezuela bia," Peruvian Prime Min-
tumbling to the ground. ister Vicente Zeballos said
"If the angels hadn't recently.
watched over me, I would In this Oct. 8, 201 photo, Venezuela's migrant Freddy Brito counts coins he earned singing for tips Carlos Scull, the envoy, said
have been run over," he in a public bus in Lima, Peru. he is urging officials to reg-
said. Associated Press ularize the status of tens of
As Venezuela's mass exo- military uniforms announce director for Human Rights she is Venezuelan. She thousands of Venezuelan
dus persists, the initial warm on a loudspeaker that they Watch. "It's one of the big- said the family has been migrants who do not have
welcome many migrants won't let "another misera- gest concerns we have." abruptly removed from two permission to work as one
received has begun to ble Venezuelan" into Peru. Brito and his wife fled Ven- apartments on account of step that could potentially
wear thin. In a third, a young man ezuela a year ago as it be- their nationality. They now help foster better relations
In recent weeks, several pleads with a dozen offi- came increasingly difficult live in a church shelter. with Peruvians.
videos on social media in cers surrounding him not to to feed their six children. "You come here with "We don't think Peru is a
Peru have shown migrants take away the small box of Once part of a popular dreams," she said. "And xenophobic country," he
being assaulted, threat- chocolates he is trying to merengue house band, Bri- when you arrive you find said. "But obviously there
ened or harassed, sparking sell to make a living. to said Venezuela's crush- something else." are small focal points of dis-
concerns that xenophobic "How am I going to eat ing economic crisis made An estimated 4.5 million crimination."
attacks on the newcomers now?" he says on the verge it impossible to advance Venezuelans have fled their Agusti, the U.N. represen-
are mounting. of tears. his music career. The fam- nation's economic and hu- tative, said advocates are
United Nations data points Those and other inci- ily also worried about their manitarian catastrophe in also working to combat
to an uptick in the number dents have struck a nerve security in a country where recent years, according to misleading media cover-
of Venezuelan migrants throughout the region. Hu- robberies and kidnappings the U.N. About half of those age that has created a
and refugees who report man rights workers warn are frequent. are now residing in just two widespread perception
experiencing discrimina- that a number of the con- Having lost a leg from be- countries: Colombia and that Venezuelans are re-
tion in South America, ditions typically associated ing shot while at a party Peru. sponsible for rising crime.
where the majority have with a rise in xenophobia in his 20s, Brito said thieves U.N. refugee agency in- He said statistics from Peru's
settled. Though difficult to are now at play. Several even once tried to make terviews with Venezue- prisons agency indicate
quantify, Peru in particular nations with large numbers off with his prosthetic limb lan migrants across Latin that just five of every 10,000
has become a hot spot. A of Venezuelan migrants as he sat on a bench near America show 46.9% have Venezuelans living in the
recently established hotline are experiencing political his home. felt discrimination, up from nation have been impris-
documented 500 incidents upheaval and economic "That leg must be worth 36.9% earlier this year. In oned and accused of a
in a single two-week pe- slowdowns while simulta- something!" he recalls them Colombia, 51.7% report- crime.
riod. neously announcing new commenting as they unsuc- ed discrimination, while in "The vast, vast majority are
"It has been rising in recent policies aimed at restricting cessfully tried to remove it Peru about 65% said they not connected to crime,"
months," said Federico entry. after demanding his watch had felt largely nationality- he said.
Agusti, the U.N. refugee When Peruvian President and wedding ring. based rejection. Brito, for his part, tries not be
agency's Peru representa- Martin Vizcarra recently dis- The prosthetic leg attaches Though relatively small affected by the disparag-
tive. "The principal cause solved congress, one angry to his right knee and re- sample sizes, the numbers ing remarks he sometimes
seems to be fear of the opposition lawmaker took quires a liner that should be offer a lens into a complex hears.
other and certain stigmas the microphone to lash replaced every six months phenomenon. On the day he was nearly
that are developing, which out against Venezuelans. but is now three years old. Around the globe, anti-ref- run over, he walked home,
generate discrimination." "Good or bad, they need It cuts into his skin so pain- ugee and migrant rhetoric cleaned himself up and
The incidents range from to leave Peru!" Esther Saa- fully that he chooses not has been growing. The in- went back out singing. It
housing evictions and vedra shouted. to wear it, hopping around flux of foreigners has stoked was his youngest son's birth-
wage theft to violent "It's not surprising that rising Lima on one foot instead. tensions in Europe, and in day, and he was trying to
threats and assaults. levels of people arriving to "I feel like I'm in the air," he several nations, including collect enough money to
In one video, a young Ven- countries with economies said, chuckling. the U.S., politicians have buy him a bike. Soon after,
ezuelan woman is whipped that are not prepared to Ruth Guillen, his wife, took risen to power dismissing he penned a song in tribute
by assailants on a dark absorb that work force a job at a salon when they refugees as criminals. to Peru. "I think Peru is a par-
street, leaving deep purple lead to this situation," said first arrived. She said some "What we see more broad- adise," the song begins. "If
bruises across her thighs. Tamara Taraciuk Broner, clients refused to let her ly are increasingly restric- I'm born again, this is where
In another, men dressed in acting Americas deputy touch their hair because tionist government policies I'll begin."q