About 200 Venezuelans returned to their country from Chile after attack on immigrants

A total of 200 Venezuelans returned to their country from Chile through the government program known as “Back to the Fatherland Plan“, After assaults and attacks against migrants which occurred at the end of September in the city of Iquique, in northern Chile.

“Today 200 nationals are returning from Chile to Venezuelan territoryThanks to the Vuelta a la Patria program. Venezuela welcomes its sons and daughters with open arms, ”said Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Felix Plasence.

Previously, the Deputy Minister for Latin America, Rander Peña, had indicated that the plan for the return of this group of Venezuelans was activated ”,after the terrible events we saw on September 24 and 25 in Iquique”.

On September 25, a massive march against irregular migration organized in Iquique, in northern Chile, ended in violent incidents against foreigners, including Venezuelans, who were stranded in the city while waiting to regularize their situation.

The march, which crossed the center of the city, ended with the burning of the tents used by foreigners to spend the night in squares and beaches, an act denounced as a xenophobic attack.

The Venezuelan regime repudiated these attacks and Nicolás Maduro ordered the activation of the so-called “Plan Vuelta a la Patria” so that Venezuelans affected in Chile can return to their country.

According to data from the Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V), nearly 5.7 million Venezuelans have left their country because of the crisis.

Of these, around 457,000 settled in Chile, making it the fourth largest recipient of Venezuelan migrants in the world.

(With information from EFE)

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