There is a crisis here. Millions of people have fled Venezuela as
the country crumbles. Many of them are coming over this border into
Colombia. Here is this border town of Cucuta, you see
people with suitcases full of all their belongings. They don’t know where they’re going. They just know they need to get out of their
country. If you need proof of how bad it is in Venezuela
right now, look at this purse. This purse is made entirely of the bills of
the Venezuelan currency, the Bolivares. Inflation is so high that this money is now
completely worthless. So my friend Jorge over here has gathered a
ton of this stuff and turned it into commodities, into purses,
into sculptures. It is worse than it sounds and it sounds pretty
bad. The country’s inflation rate will rise to
one million percent. More than a million Venezuelans moved to Colombia in recent years. And in an era of record setting migration, when borders seem to be getting thicker, harder to cross. Colombia is doing something that you don’t
see very often. It’s opening its doors and it’s letting
people in. The border crisis is shocking. It’s a real humanitarian crisis. The economic crisis there is about to get
even worse. Is there a point where Colombia and other
countries in Latin America step in and say enough is enough now? This border town of Cucuta is now totally
bustling. This is the very end of the border. Where these people are entering. And the one thing that you’ll hear that
is a little interesting is... “Compra cabello,” we buy hair. To continue on their way to make some money,
the women will sell their hair. You basically get 100,000 pesos, which is
like 30 dollars. I’m eating a Venezuelan styled hot dog and the guys are reflecting on how much this
hot dog would cost if they were trying to buy it in Venezuela
with the current economic situation 87% of the country’s households into poverty. Images that we’ve never seen in Latin America before is unfortunately something we’re seeing now. The collapse of Venezuela didn’t happen
because of a civil war or a natural disaster, but rather the colossal economic mismanagement
by the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro. In just a few years, Maduro grabbed control
of most of the government and then drove the country into an economic
disaster worse than the Great Depression and the fall of the Soviet Union. Of the two million people who have left Venezuela
in the midst of this crisis about one million have come to Colombia, easily
more than any other country. The response by most countries in the region has been to put up new measures to stop migrants from flooding into their country. But not Colombia, here the borders stays relatively
easy to cross. And even though Colombia already has millions of its own people in need of humanitarian assistance, the Colombian people and politicians continue
to let these migrants in. So I have decided that we’re not going to
close the border. We have to give them support. Now we’re in the refugee camp, is what they’re
calling it. Here the government provides all sorts of
services to these people. Haircuts and manicures. Today in the camp, they’re playing music. Some Colombian, some Venezuelan and everyone, locals, migrants start singing and clapping along. The Colombian government has given most of these migrants status, allowing them to live in the country, get
healthcare, work and study for two years. But it’s not just the Colombia government
opening its doors. In a neighborhood by the border, people starting
taking migrants into their homes, indefinitely and for free. And to understand why these people are opening up their doors to Venezuelans, you have to understand their past. If you go back to the 1800’s, Colombia and
Venezuela were actually a part of the same country called Gran Colombia. This country actually broke up into the modern
states we know today. Decades later, in the 80’s and 90’s, Colombia
was experiencing some of its worst violence in its decades
long war with a rebel group called the FARC. This war displaced more than seven million
people, more than any other modern war. Hundreds of thousands of those people fled
to Venezuela, where the economy was thriving And the Venezuelans took them in. So in a sense, this the Colombians way of
paying back Venezuelans for the hospitality they were given. Here at the border, you go down the street
a little bit, and you see this sign that says welcome to Colombia. Above it, it says, “ Colombia and Venezuela,
united forever." It’s part of these two countries being different,
having very different governments. There is this common identity among the people. But there are reasons to believe this sense
of solidarity might not last forever. A slew of crimes, allegedly committed by Venezuelans,
have led to a new wave of skepticism in the country. Earlier this year, the police chief in this
border town told people that they shouldn’t rent their properties to Venezuelans after a migrant was arrested for a homicide. But despite the growing skepticism, many Venezuelans
continue to see tremendous support in Colombia, a country that has chosen to keep its doors open to the thousands of migrants who come in everyday.
So proud of my home country! Far from perfect but behind the Venezuelans during a time of need. ❤️🇨🇴 Excellent clip.
He estado esperando que inicie esta serie, y me pareció mucha coincidencia que su primer episodio es literalmente el día después del ultimo de alanporelmundo en Colombia. El segundo es un canal de viajes entonces obvio no es que tengan tanto que ver pero era semanal y la calidad de la edición y producción bastante similares en mi opinión. Qué lástima que estos sean de menos de 10 minutos y salgan semanales...
Que refrescante ver algo diferente a lonque muestran los medios nacionales. Mes le quito el sombrero a los cucuteños por su solidaridad. La solidaridad del pobre en Colombia es una vaina inexplicable que lastimosamente se va perdiendo a medida que la plata llega.
Mi corazon esta con los hermanos Venezolanos. Me alegra muchisimo that the good people have stepped up to help their fellow human.
I am a Colombian living in the United States and I am proud beyond words of how welcoming Colombians are of their neighbors and wish the US would do the same. If we show kindness to others they will be more likely to show it back. I wish my fellow Americans understand that.
Lastimosamente algunos venezolanos están devolviéndose para Venezuela gracias a la humillación que algunos compatriotas les están dando.
Me duele ver la falta de corazón de muchos colombianos.
http://victordecurrealugo.com/asi-fue-volver-a-la-patria-para-80-venezolanos-que-estaban-en-colombia/
I actually suggested this idea a couple months back when he was looking for stuff. I'm really glad this got chosen and they created a clip about it
I sincerely hope that the Venezuelan people will remember this in the future, I once visited Venezuela some years ago and I never felt as mistreated as I felt there. I really don't understand why we Colombians were always so hated in their country, I really hope this helps them change.
As someone who doesn’t live in Colombia, I’ve heard that many people have had concerns about Venezuelans and aren’t as welcoming as this video makes it seem. I’m not saying that Venezuelans are killing and robbing like a lot of media is making it seem is happening, far from it. I’m just saying that people’s perceptions is that this is the case which causes more issues.
Edit: apparently I didn’t make this clear, I’m not suggesting that Colombians are overwhelmingly against the Venezuelans being there but I have heard stories through family that live there that suggest a decent amount do. If you disagree, please share your personal experiences. I am here to learn because I am not Colombian and subscribe to this subreddit to learn Colombian culture from actual Colombians.