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| Colombians Flee Venezuela’s Crackdown on Immigrants | Colombians Flee Venezuela’s Crackdown on Immigrants |
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| SAN ANTONIO DEL TÁCHIRA , Venezuela — At night and in the early morning, they wade across the thigh-deep river in Colombia, with televisions, refrigerators and other household possessions on their backs. By day, watched by gun-toting soldiers, they line up to cross what was once a busy international bridge now under military lockdown, dragging roller suitcases while their children shoulder school backpacks. | |
| Hundreds of Colombians are fleeing across the border, running from a crackdown on immigrants initiated by Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. | Hundreds of Colombians are fleeing across the border, running from a crackdown on immigrants initiated by Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. |
| “It’s heartbreaking,” said Handerles Suárez, 25, a construction worker, as he waited with his wife and baby daughter at dusk to cross the Simón Bólivar Bridge to his native Colombia. He said he had lived in Venezuela for 10 years, but now, seeing his countrymen rounded up and deported, their houses marked for demolition by the government, he decided to leave voluntarily rather than risk the uncertainty of a forced departure. | “It’s heartbreaking,” said Handerles Suárez, 25, a construction worker, as he waited with his wife and baby daughter at dusk to cross the Simón Bólivar Bridge to his native Colombia. He said he had lived in Venezuela for 10 years, but now, seeing his countrymen rounded up and deported, their houses marked for demolition by the government, he decided to leave voluntarily rather than risk the uncertainty of a forced departure. |
| “Venezuela has given us everything,” he said, tears in his eyes. “It’s been like a second mother to us.” | “Venezuela has given us everything,” he said, tears in his eyes. “It’s been like a second mother to us.” |
| Last Friday, Mr. Maduro ordered troops to close the border here, shutting bridges to almost all traffic and commerce with Colombia. And he declared a state of emergency in a stretch of territory along the border, allowing warrantless searches and placing restrictions on public gatherings or protests. | Last Friday, Mr. Maduro ordered troops to close the border here, shutting bridges to almost all traffic and commerce with Colombia. And he declared a state of emergency in a stretch of territory along the border, allowing warrantless searches and placing restrictions on public gatherings or protests. |
| At the same time, soldiers in this Venezuelan border town began house-to-house searches in a sprawling slum, checking identity papers and rounding up hundreds of Colombian citizens, many of whom had lived in Venezuela for years. They were made to sit in a dusty soccer field under the baking sun for hours before being sent to the bridge and kicked out of the country. | At the same time, soldiers in this Venezuelan border town began house-to-house searches in a sprawling slum, checking identity papers and rounding up hundreds of Colombian citizens, many of whom had lived in Venezuela for years. They were made to sit in a dusty soccer field under the baking sun for hours before being sent to the bridge and kicked out of the country. |
| Officials said that more than 1,000 people were deported. | Officials said that more than 1,000 people were deported. |
| In closing the border, Mr. Maduro said he was responding to an episode in which three Venezuelan soldiers were shot and wounded. The details remain hazy, but Mr. Maduro said it was an attack by a Colombian paramilitary group obeying the orders of a former Colombian president, Álvaro Uribe, whom he has frequently described as an enemy bent on overthrowing his leftist government. | In closing the border, Mr. Maduro said he was responding to an episode in which three Venezuelan soldiers were shot and wounded. The details remain hazy, but Mr. Maduro said it was an attack by a Colombian paramilitary group obeying the orders of a former Colombian president, Álvaro Uribe, whom he has frequently described as an enemy bent on overthrowing his leftist government. |
| Mr. Maduro said the border shutdown would last indefinitely, and that he planned to expand the state of emergency to other areas of the country. | Mr. Maduro said the border shutdown would last indefinitely, and that he planned to expand the state of emergency to other areas of the country. |
| But to analysts and those caught in the crackdown, the state of emergency was inextricably tied to the economic and political crisis gripping Venezuela, with politicians looking for someone to blame. | But to analysts and those caught in the crackdown, the state of emergency was inextricably tied to the economic and political crisis gripping Venezuela, with politicians looking for someone to blame. |
| Mr. Maduro says the Colombian immigrants include smugglers who spirit much-needed goods out of his country, worsening chronic shortages; black marketeers who drive up prices for products in Venezuela, where inflation is soaring; and right-wing paramilitary groups that Mr. Maduro accuses of seeking to attack his government, under orders of his enemies at home and abroad. | Mr. Maduro says the Colombian immigrants include smugglers who spirit much-needed goods out of his country, worsening chronic shortages; black marketeers who drive up prices for products in Venezuela, where inflation is soaring; and right-wing paramilitary groups that Mr. Maduro accuses of seeking to attack his government, under orders of his enemies at home and abroad. |
| For now, the focus of Mr. Maduro and the hundreds of soldiers he dispatched has been on a large slum that hugs the Táchira River separating the two countries, an area he says is a nest of paramilitary groups, brothels, criminals and smugglers. | For now, the focus of Mr. Maduro and the hundreds of soldiers he dispatched has been on a large slum that hugs the Táchira River separating the two countries, an area he says is a nest of paramilitary groups, brothels, criminals and smugglers. |
| During a televised news conference this week, he vowed to raze the slum. | During a televised news conference this week, he vowed to raze the slum. |
| “We’re going to knock down all the houses there, just so you know,” Mr. Maduro said. “Not a single house will remain.” | “We’re going to knock down all the houses there, just so you know,” Mr. Maduro said. “Not a single house will remain.” |
| The warnings set off despair and anger here in the neighborhood, where a backhoe has already started knocking down houses. Many people said they were hard-working Venezuelan citizens or Colombians with legal residency, and they asked why their homes were slated to be torn down. | The warnings set off despair and anger here in the neighborhood, where a backhoe has already started knocking down houses. Many people said they were hard-working Venezuelan citizens or Colombians with legal residency, and they asked why their homes were slated to be torn down. |
| “I don’t see the justification at all,” said Jairo Gómez, 55, a Venezuelan who has a small business selling empanadas. He built a house here 13 years ago and now fears he will lose it. | “I don’t see the justification at all,” said Jairo Gómez, 55, a Venezuelan who has a small business selling empanadas. He built a house here 13 years ago and now fears he will lose it. |
| In an area of the slum, named after the Argentine revolutionary hero Che Guevara, a backhoe was brought in this week and began knocking down the cinder block houses. | In an area of the slum, named after the Argentine revolutionary hero Che Guevara, a backhoe was brought in this week and began knocking down the cinder block houses. |
| On Wednesday night, some families were busy dismantling their own homes to salvage the construction materials so they could be sold or used again later. | On Wednesday night, some families were busy dismantling their own homes to salvage the construction materials so they could be sold or used again later. |
| “You just want to lie down and never wake up,” said Tatiana Cerna, 33, a Colombian who said she lived here legally with her Venezuelan husband and child. A few yards from other houses that had already been demolished, the family was working with hand tools under the moonlight to take apart their home, brick by brick and beam by beam. | “You just want to lie down and never wake up,” said Tatiana Cerna, 33, a Colombian who said she lived here legally with her Venezuelan husband and child. A few yards from other houses that had already been demolished, the family was working with hand tools under the moonlight to take apart their home, brick by brick and beam by beam. |
| “This is the kind of family that lives here,” said Ms. Cerna, a seamstress whose husband is a taxi driver. “If they want to stop the smuggling, I think the national guard itself is involved. To come and knock all this down is not the solution.” | “This is the kind of family that lives here,” said Ms. Cerna, a seamstress whose husband is a taxi driver. “If they want to stop the smuggling, I think the national guard itself is involved. To come and knock all this down is not the solution.” |
| Mr. Maduro’s popularity is extremely low because of the country’s economic struggles, and the country is approaching a crucial legislative election in December that could enable the opposition to win a majority for the first time in years. | Mr. Maduro’s popularity is extremely low because of the country’s economic struggles, and the country is approaching a crucial legislative election in December that could enable the opposition to win a majority for the first time in years. |
| While closing the border and evicting immigrants may stir some nationalist sentiment, it could backfire in a country where many naturalized Venezuelans vote and many other voters have Colombian relatives. | While closing the border and evicting immigrants may stir some nationalist sentiment, it could backfire in a country where many naturalized Venezuelans vote and many other voters have Colombian relatives. |
| “We were Chavistas, but never again,” said Wilson Velazco, 32, Ms. Cerna’s brother-in-law, covered in dust from the demolition and using the Spanish term for the followers of Mr. Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez. | “We were Chavistas, but never again,” said Wilson Velazco, 32, Ms. Cerna’s brother-in-law, covered in dust from the demolition and using the Spanish term for the followers of Mr. Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez. |
| “Maduro is a clown, not to use a more offensive word,” he said. “If Chávez were alive, he never would have permitted this.” | “Maduro is a clown, not to use a more offensive word,” he said. “If Chávez were alive, he never would have permitted this.” |
| The actions here have also brought strong condemnation from Colombian officials. On Tuesday, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia condemned what he called the mistreatment of deported Colombians. | The actions here have also brought strong condemnation from Colombian officials. On Tuesday, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia condemned what he called the mistreatment of deported Colombians. |
| “Raiding houses, removing the inhabitants by force, separating families, not allowing them to take with them their few belongings and marking the houses in order to demolish them later on, these are totally unacceptable actions that recall bitter episodes of humanity that must not be repeated,” Mr. Santos said. | “Raiding houses, removing the inhabitants by force, separating families, not allowing them to take with them their few belongings and marking the houses in order to demolish them later on, these are totally unacceptable actions that recall bitter episodes of humanity that must not be repeated,” Mr. Santos said. |
| Each country has long pointed to the other in times of internal tension. Relations reached a low point when the conservative Mr. Uribe and the leftist Mr. Chávez were presidents and engaged in a heated ideological struggle. | Each country has long pointed to the other in times of internal tension. Relations reached a low point when the conservative Mr. Uribe and the leftist Mr. Chávez were presidents and engaged in a heated ideological struggle. |
| Mr. Uribe accused Mr. Chávez of supporting guerrilla groups fighting the Colombian government. Tensions cooled after Mr. Santos became president in 2010 and Venezuela helped broker peace talks between Colombia and its largest rebel group. | Mr. Uribe accused Mr. Chávez of supporting guerrilla groups fighting the Colombian government. Tensions cooled after Mr. Santos became president in 2010 and Venezuela helped broker peace talks between Colombia and its largest rebel group. |
| But this week, the tensions heated up again. | But this week, the tensions heated up again. |
| “Venezuela’s problems are made in Venezuela, not in Colombia,” Mr. Santos said. On Thursday, Mr. Santos announced that he had recalled his ambassador to Caracas for consultations. | |
| Mr. Maduro, in turn, called Mr. Santos a liar and accused Colombia of neglecting its citizens. Mr. Maduro defended his actions on the border. “I’m not anti-Colombian,” he said this week, adding that 5.6 million Colombians live in Venezuela, which has a total population of about 30 million. “We love the Colombian people.” | |
| He said that if the houses of any innocent people were destroyed the government would provide them with new apartments, although he offered no specifics about how the government would determine who was innocent or when they might get new housing. | He said that if the houses of any innocent people were destroyed the government would provide them with new apartments, although he offered no specifics about how the government would determine who was innocent or when they might get new housing. |
| He also rejected comparisons that his critics have made between him and Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate whose campaign is partly built on stirring sentiment against Mexican immigrants to the United States. | He also rejected comparisons that his critics have made between him and Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate whose campaign is partly built on stirring sentiment against Mexican immigrants to the United States. |
| “I don’t have Donald Trump’s hairdo and much less his bank account and even less his ideology,” Mr. Maduro said. | “I don’t have Donald Trump’s hairdo and much less his bank account and even less his ideology,” Mr. Maduro said. |
| But Mr. Maduro and other government officials have increasingly lashed out at Colombian immigrants since last year, saying that through smuggling and black-marketeering they are responsible for the escalating shortages and high prices here. | But Mr. Maduro and other government officials have increasingly lashed out at Colombian immigrants since last year, saying that through smuggling and black-marketeering they are responsible for the escalating shortages and high prices here. |
| Venezuela has fallen further into economic disarray since Mr. Maduro was elected in 2013 after the death of Mr. Chávez. | Venezuela has fallen further into economic disarray since Mr. Maduro was elected in 2013 after the death of Mr. Chávez. |
| The government has stopped disclosing basic economic data, but most economists estimate that inflation is well over 100 percent annually and that the economy is in a deep recession, all made worse by plummeting prices for oil, the country’s only major export. Many basic goods are in short supply and long lines at stores are common. | The government has stopped disclosing basic economic data, but most economists estimate that inflation is well over 100 percent annually and that the economy is in a deep recession, all made worse by plummeting prices for oil, the country’s only major export. Many basic goods are in short supply and long lines at stores are common. |
| The opportunities for smugglers are enormous. Gasoline in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest estimated oil reserves, is virtually free, costing about six cents a gallon at the main exchange rate of 6.3 bolívars to the dollar, and just a small fraction of that at black market exchange rates that currently run more than 700 bolívars to the dollar. | The opportunities for smugglers are enormous. Gasoline in Venezuela, which has the world’s largest estimated oil reserves, is virtually free, costing about six cents a gallon at the main exchange rate of 6.3 bolívars to the dollar, and just a small fraction of that at black market exchange rates that currently run more than 700 bolívars to the dollar. |
| But in Colombia, gasoline fetches prices similar to or higher than those in the United States. Vast quantities of fuel are routinely smuggled across, generating enormous profits. | But in Colombia, gasoline fetches prices similar to or higher than those in the United States. Vast quantities of fuel are routinely smuggled across, generating enormous profits. |
| There is also a brisk trade in other goods that can be bought in Venezuela at low government-mandated prices and sold at much higher prices in Colombia, including staples like corn flour, powdered milk and rice, or materials like cement. | There is also a brisk trade in other goods that can be bought in Venezuela at low government-mandated prices and sold at much higher prices in Colombia, including staples like corn flour, powdered milk and rice, or materials like cement. |
| Across the border in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, hundreds of deportees were jammed into shelters, and there were long lines at gas stations caused by the sudden absence of contraband gasoline being sold on the street. | Across the border in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, hundreds of deportees were jammed into shelters, and there were long lines at gas stations caused by the sudden absence of contraband gasoline being sold on the street. |
| Some deportees sneaked back across the river at night, making several trips back and forth carrying their belongings. Some, including those leaving voluntarily, continued to carry belongings across in the early morning, with Colombian police officers wading into the gray water to help. | Some deportees sneaked back across the river at night, making several trips back and forth carrying their belongings. Some, including those leaving voluntarily, continued to carry belongings across in the early morning, with Colombian police officers wading into the gray water to help. |
| Patricia Helves, 19, sat on the riverbank nursing her 11-month-old baby. Ms. Helves, a Colombian married to a Venezuelan bus driver, said that she had walked across the river fearing that she would be deported if she stayed. Her husband carried the family belongings over. | |
| “I’m not going back,” she said. | “I’m not going back,” she said. |