Venezuela's government created a new migration police force on Friday to increase controls at the country's borders amid a mass exodus sparked by an ongoing political and economic crisis.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez announced the move on state TV, saying that the migration police will "immediately" take control of Venezuela's 72 entry and exit points.

She said that the police force will reinforce "the existing controls" that are currently being carried out by National Guard soldiers who oversee border security.

The vice president said that the police force was created to monitor migration "so that the truth will come out and not the imperial lies that from Washington want to be sold to the world."

Food shortages spark exodus

Hundreds of thousands of people fled Venezuela after the country's oil-based economy collapsed in a crisis that has worsened under President Nicolas Maduro.

The crisis has led to shortages of food, medicine, running water and power across the country. Many have left the country by crossing across Venezuela's border with neighboring Colombia.

Around 1.9 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015, according to United Nations figures.

Maduro says that the figures of people leaving Venezuela are exaggerated in order to make him look bad. He claims that 600,000 Venezuelans have left the country in the past two years and that 90 percent of those who leave regret doing so.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Iconic image Each day 30,000 to 40,000 people cross the 315-meter-long (1,000-foot-long) Simon Bolivar bridge (pictured) between Venezuela and Colombia. Since September 2015 some 20 million Venezuelans have crossed into the neighboring Colombian province of Norte de Santander, says its governor William Villamizar. At the same time, he adds, 17 million individuals have been registered as entering Venezuela.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Shopping over the border Most Venezuelans come to Colombia to stock up on basic food stuff and medicine. It is cheaper there than in their own country, where inflation has spiraled out of control and made the Bolivar, Venezuela's currency, nearly worthless. Some 3 million citizens are thought to have permanently migrated to Colombia.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Refugiados welcome? Colombians initially welcomed fleeing Venezuelans with open arms, just like Germans welcomed refugees in summer 2015. But now, experts say, the mood has shifted. Many have begun demanding the government provide less financial support to refugees and instead invest more in helping ordinary Colombians. However, aid for refugees is still provided in reception centers (above).

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Heading south According to official figures, approximately 1 million Venezuelan nationals currently reside in Colombia. Given that a total of 3 million Venezuelans crossed into Colombia, about 2 million must have traveled onward. In the first half of 2018 alone, over 500,000 of them migrated to Colombia's southern neighbor Ecuador.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Stopover in Ecuador Ecuadorian authorities estimate that only 20 percent of Venezuelan nationals who arrived in the country in 2018 permanently settled there, like this family living in a makeshift camp near the capital, Quito. Most Venezuelans presumably intend to keep on traveling southward and reach either Peru, Chile or Argentina.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Hitting the brakes After several days when some 5,000 Venezuelans wanted to cross from Colombia into Ecuador, Quito began demanding that Venezuelan nationals show valid passports to emigrate, rather than just an ID as was previously needed. This new regulation applies to adults. For children, proof of paternity and parental passports is enough to let them cross the border.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Chain reaction After Ecuador Peru followed suit, announcing it would implement the same regulation in the near future. Peruvian Interior Minister Mauro Medina said that about 80 percent of Venezuelan refugees arrive with valid passports, but many Venezuelan NGOs warn that passports have now become luxury items in the crisis-stricken country, requiring large sums of cash or high-level contacts to acquire one.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Tension in the air More than 100,000 Venezuelans have migrated to Brazil since 2016, most of them to the country's north. From there, roughly half them travel onward to Ecuador and Peru. The situation in northern Brazil is tense: The country's government has said it will redistribute Venezuelan immigrants to other regions. Critics have accused the government authorities of failing to support Brazil's border region.

The perilous flight out of Venezuela Attacks and confrontations Last weekend, local residents in the Brazilian border town of Pacaraima attacked makeshift camps housing Venezuelan refugees. They set their dwellings on fire and drove hundreds back across the border. Media reports say Brazilian police did nothing to stop the mob violence. The attack was said to be triggered by the robbery of a Brazilian businessman — a crime allegedly committed by refugees. Author: Jan D. Walter



More expensive passport fees

Rodriguez also announced several major changes to the country's passport fees, likely making it even harder for people to obtain passports.

As of next week, the issuance fee for passports will rise to 7,200 bolivars (around $62 or €54 on the black market), she said. The fees currently cost the equivalent of a few US cents.

The new amount is around four times the amount of the monthly minimum wage in Venezuela.

Starting on November 1, Venezuela will require citizens pay for passport fees using the government's petro cryptocurrency.

"The price of a new passport will be 2 petros and (the price) of an extension will be 1 petro," Rodriguez said.

Venezuelans often struggle to get a passport under the current system, with people lining up outside government buildings to submit documents. According to Reuters news agency, many Venezuelans have had to wait months for a new passport, if they receive one at all.

rs/ng (AFP, Reuters)