Peru's Interior Minister creates a special police brigade in the face of "the commotion" for "the presence of Venezuelans"

[Jultxxxyes]

"They have only two paths: leaving the country or the prison," said the Peruvian authority.

 

The Interior Minister of Peru, Carlos Morán, announced Tuesday that "the presence of Venezuelans has generated shock" in the country and that is why he has decided to form a special police brigade to "fight foreign criminals."

In an interview with Radio Nacional, Morán pointed out that the new elite group will especially work on the "phenomenon" of "Venezuelan criminals."

According to Morán, "criminals who discredit the Venezuelan community have arrived in Peru" and said there are gangs with citizens of that nationality "involved in crimes, pimping, sicariate."

 

Similarly, he stressed that "more barriers at the border have been established, with controls with biometric cameras," while acknowledging that "in recent months, Venezuelan migration has declined dramatically."

The minister also said that he has held a meeting with the Prosecutor's Office in Peru on the issue of "criminal migration" to work under the same line. "They have only two paths: leaving the country or jail," he added.

Xenophobia in Peru
Since the end of September 2019, the dissemination of hate messages against Venezuelans reached alarming levels in Peru. Even, there were a series of demonstrations, convened on social networks, to demand his departure from the country with xenophobic phrases such as "outside the Venecos" or "Maduro, take your trash."

Although some conservative sectors of that country have tried to attribute responsibility for crime exclusively to Venezuelans, a study called 'Impact of migration of foreigners on the incidence of crime in Peru' showed that from 2016 to May 2019, Venezuelans were involved in 5,767 complaints of crimes.

From 2016 to 2018 there were a total of 941,788 complaints for crimes in Peru, according to the statistical yearbook of the Police of that country, so the percentage of Venezuelans related to criminal actions corresponds to 0.61%, without taking into account 2019.

However, discriminatory expressions against this group have not ceased. In fact, Fujimorista lawmaker Esther Saavedra said during a session of the Peruvian Congress that Venezuelans "bad or good have to leave Peru, leave."

At that time, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing "its most resounding repudiation of acts of xenophobia, aggression and persecution against Venezuelan citizens and citizens who have migrated to the Republic of Peru."

"These are shameful and inhuman acts, allowed or committed by authorities of the Government of Peru and instigated by hate campaigns against the Venezuelan gentilicio," said the letter.