ABSTRACT
The Venezuelan migration crisis is the largest contemporary population crisis in Latin America. Up to now, it has displaced nearly 7 million people across the Latin America and Caribbean region. Initially welcomed under relatively liberal refugee and immigration regimes, Venezuelan migrants now face increasing political restrictions, but also widespread social fatigue in major host countries like Peru. Based on extensive empirical research, this study reveals complex dynamics of integration shaped by legal frameworks, discrimination, and cultural perceptions. Many Venezuelans in Peru oscillate between integration and separation, with growing signs of long-term settlement despite multiple challenges: precarious work, the COVID-19 pandemic, and tense political relations between sending and destination countries. While most of the Venezuelans in Peru still express hope to return, political instability in their home country and reduced migration options—especially in the US—suggest their continued displacement within South–South migration systems and subsequent adaptation within LAC economies.
