A Decade of Walking: The Ongoing Venezuelan Exodus
The scale of the Venezuelan exodus is staggering. More than seven million Venezuelans – roughly 20 percent of the country’s population – have left their homes since 2015, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has reverberated throughout Latin America and even into the United States. What began as a trickle of those with the means to leave has become a relentless stream of people, many walking hundreds of kilometers in search of survival.
The initial wave of emigration following Hugo Chávez’s election in 1998 consisted largely of the wealthy and business class, seeking to protect their assets. As the economic situation deteriorated, the middle class joined them, hoping for better opportunities. Many were, in a sense, returning to Colombia – the children and grandchildren of previous emigrants reclaiming their citizenship. These early departures also included dissidents fleeing tightening political repression.
However, the situation truly spiraled out of control in 2017 with the onset of hyperinflation. The official inflation rate soared to 863 percent that year, then climbed to an astonishing 130,000 percent the following year. Faced with this economic collapse, ordinary Venezuelans began to walk, crossing the Simón Bolívar bridge into Cúcuta, Colombia and continuing onward. What started as a local concern for Cúcuta quickly escalated into a regional crisis.
Those making the journey became known as los caminantes – “the walkers.” Keila Vilchez, a Venezuelan journalist reporting for Cúcuta’s La Opinión, described their plight as not simply migration, but “fleeing.” “Because anyone who decides to walk for twenty days, thirty days, forty days to leave their country is doing it because there is no hope,” she said.
The walkers headed primarily towards Bogotá, the Colombian coast, or the coffee-growing regions, driven by rumors of available work. They carried their entire lives with them – bulging suitcases, children in their arms – often wearing sandals or walking barefoot. Many lacked legal documentation, money, or even a reliable phone number or address. The journey was perilous, and many died from exhaustion, exposure, or lack of medical care.
In 2018 alone, over 1.3 million Venezuelans left the country. The crisis has strained diplomatic relations, tested social safety nets, and sparked xenophobic reactions. It even influenced the political debate on immigration in the United States, with the emergence of groups like Tren de Aragua becoming a focal point in discussions about border security.
The impact of the exodus is visible in communities like Las Delicias, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Cúcuta, where Venezuelan residents now make up more than half the population. While officially incorporated into Cúcuta in 2015, the area has seen little improvement in services or infrastructure. The neighborhood struggles with violence, as evidenced by a recent shooting that drew little sympathy from residents, who described the victims as criminals.
The stories of the caminantes are a testament to desperation and resilience. Many who arrived in cities like New York, as volunteers reported in 2022-2023, were dazed and bewildered, yet hopeful. They needed basic necessities – winter coats, shoes, a place to rest – and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Each journey, according to those who witnessed it, was a miracle of human endurance.
The crisis continues to unfold, with no immediate end in sight. The exodus represents not just a humanitarian emergency, but a profound human tragedy, leaving an indelible mark on Venezuela and the surrounding region.
