PPT: Colombia’s Ace in the Hole

Source: Elpolitico.com

By Diana M. Tovar Rojas

Colombia surprised the world at the beginning of the week with the announcement of the new ‘Temporary Stay Permit’ -Permiso de Permanencia Temporal- (PPT). Its main objective is to regularize almost two million Venezuelan immigrants, of which more than 56% presently hold an irregular migratory status. According to President Ivan Duque, this permit is a temporary protection mechanism complementary to the International Refugee Protection Regime that will allow Venezuelans to legally reside in-country for ten years, in addition to granting the possibility of applying for permanent residency when the decree expires. Experts in the field have described this measure as historic. Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stated that we are seeing the greatest humanitarian gesture in the region since 1984 when the Cartagena Declaration was signed.

But what exactly is the PPT? According to statements by President Duque, it is “a measure very similar to the TPS status granted in the United States. The PPT is a migratory regularization policy that seeks to offer Venezuelans equal opportunities in Colombia through the creation of a single registration and characterization system of migrants.” The beneficiaries will be three groups of immigrants: those who already have a visa or a temporary residence permit, migrants with an irregular status who can prove to have arrived in the country before January 31st , 2021, and future migrants who enter through immigration checkpoints in the next two years after the decree enters into force. This measure undoubtedly seeks to face several challenges: the underreporting of statistical data on the migrant population, the high levels of labor informality, the high vulnerability and precariousness of the immigrant population, and the visible gaps in the Colombian asylum and refugee system. This will be possible with the new permit, because all beneficiaries will not only obtain a work permit, but they will also have access to the health care system like any Colombian citizen, and educational access will be expanded from primary to secondary. With this initiative, Colombia is restoring dignity to the Venezuelans. It seems that the Colombian state is finally understanding that migrants are essential human capital that make a great contribution not only economically but also socially. 

As of December 31st, 2020, there are more than 5 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the world, of which 1,729,000 (34%) are in Colombia. Despite the efforts of the Colombian state to welcome the migrant population, the response in the last five years has remained improvised, limited, and focused on securitizing migration. The current alternatives available to regularize the migrant population, such as the Permiso Especial de Permancia (PEP), are ad hoc mechanisms with a short-term vision. The consequences of which leads migrants to a state of anxiety and legal limbo after the permits expire, which have a validity of up to two years without the possibility of extension. The PEPs are also exclusive mechanisms that only regularize migrants that have entered through an immigration check-point with a passport which does not need to be valid.

On the other hand, this complementary mechanism comes at a time when the asylum and refugee system is overwhelmed and not in compliance with the standards of the International Refugee Protection Regime and Human Rights Regime. As of December 2019, only 140 out 10,479 applicants had been granted refugee status. The international community has asked the Colombian state on several occasions to take into account the Declaration of Cartagena, in order to grant adequate protection to Venezuelans and consider the majority as refugees. According to UNHCR, Venezuelan migration is a forced migration fleeing a complex humanitarian crisis; one characterized by a combination of political instability, internal conflict and violence, social inequalities, and extreme poverty. However, it had been impossible to see an important move that would respond to the request. 

For this reason, this announcement was for many, as we would say in Latin America, “un balde de agua frìa”  a bucket of cold water. An unexpected and unpredictable step, but undoubtedly one that, as a Colombian, I applaud and feel proud of. More than a mere act of solidarity, this is the response that Colombia owed to the Venezuelan people. Those that, for decades, received thousands of Colombians during a period of cruel internal armed conflict. With this measure, Colombia is not only complying with an international obligation, but is also assuming an international commitment. By faithfully upholding this commitment, Colombia would manage to advance from their constant political discourse denouncing the ‘Venezuelan dictatorship,’ to an ethical and rational action. May the countries of the region find it an exemplary practice.

Today I celebrate with you, my Venezuelan brothers.