In Spain, Ombudsman asks that temporary protection be granted to Venezuelan citizens
The Ombudsman (e.f.), Francisco Fernández Marugán, has recommended to the Ministry of the Interior a proposal in the Council of Ministers to make a general declaration of temporary protection for Venezuelan citizens while they are in Spain.
The institution has verified the high number of applications for international protection of this nationality pending resolution and the almost zero rate of recognition of refugee status. According to the latest data received, last June, a procedure was admitted and 17,969 applications for international protection of Venezuelan citizens were pending and the first six months of 2018, three asylum statutes and no subsidiary protection were granted.
In the opinion of the defender, this reality demands a quick response to end the situation of extreme vulnerability in which many Venezuelan citizens are. For this reason, we consider that this solution seems to be “the most reasonable” given the limited capacity of the Asylum and Refuge Office and the precarious situation in which many Venezuelans already live in Spain.
This regime of temporary protection is foreseen for cases of affluence. It has a duration of one year, extendable up to a maximum of three.
With a declaration of temporary protection the Venezuelan citizens.
Fernández Marugán recalls that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) already urged the states of Venezuelan citizens last March to “those who have access to their territory” and “continue adopting the appropriate responses and Protection-oriented pragmatics. “In addition, the dimension of the problem has been made known, the United Nations has announced the appointment of a joint special representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants.
