Colombia, Peru pledge joint response to Venezuela exodus

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) - Immigration authorities in Colombia^[1] and Peru are vowing to build a joint database to share information on the rapidly rising number of Venezuelans fleeing their nation’s crippling economic and humanitarian crisis.

Officials announced the plan Tuesday following a two-day regional meeting aimed at developing a unified response to the exodus.

The United Nations estimates 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled since 2014, the majority of them going to Colombia^[2] or Peru.

Over 1 million Venezuelans have arrived in Colombia^[3] in less than two years, while officials in Peru say there are more than 400,000 living in the nation.

Colombia^[4] immigration director Christian Kruger said the database will allow nations to share information on topics like immigration status, health care and security. He hopes other nations including Ecuador will join.