The Reception of Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia

• In Event: Migration in and from the Global South

Abstract

Substantial research has examined popular attitudes towards immigrants in advanced economies. Far less is known about the reception of immigrants in developing countries where the majority of forced migration occurs. On the one hand, ethnic tensions may be exacerbated in developing country contexts in which formal labor markets, welfare programs, and security conditions are even weaker. On the other hand, it is possible that immigration flows between developing countries result in far more sympathetic responses. Immigrants often come from bordering countries with cultural and ethnic similarities. Some neighboring countries have exchanged immigrants at different points in time, leading to a sense of informal insurance in having a relatively porous border and welcoming immigration regime. Given less generous welfare policies and less regulated labor markets than in the developed world, it also is possible that concerns about resource competition are reduced. An additional open question concerns how partisan fears shape the reception of migrants. While most literature focuses on economic, security, and cultural concerns about new immigrants, few studies examine perceptions of their impact on the electorate. Do concerns about the political leanings of migrants undermine support for their entrance and integration? In many contexts, the overlap between ethnicity and partisanship makes it hard to disentangle the importance of partisan fears to the reactions of host communities. To disentangle these issues, we therefore look at a case in which migrants come from a similar ethnic and language background but are seen to have different political attitudes— the migration of Venezuelans to Colombia—and use a new public opinion survey to understand these dynamics.

Authors

• Margaret E. Peters, University of California, Los Angeles

• Alisha Caroline Holland, Harvard University

• Thania Sanchez, American Civil Liberties Union

• Yang-Yang Zhou, University of British Columbia