Latin America Extends Sympathy to Venezuelans, But Little Else

Geoff Ramsey, a Venezuelan expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, a research organization that works for human rights, said the communique was little more than an expression of sympathy and good intentions. “The truth is, governments are trying to give themselves giant loopholes,” he said. “Unfortunately, the trend seems to be going in the opposite direction of a humane, coordinated response.” Ramsey said the ad hoc relief effort so far has included success stories: Colombia gave about 400,000 Venezuelans temporary residency and Brazil has established about a dozen shelters on the border. But such stopgaps should be paired with long-term solutions to house and employ people who will require money from donor countries and humanitarian agencies, he said. More…