The border blockade left thousands of Venezuelans stranded in their own country

The Bolivarian National Guard had closed the Simón Bolívar Bridge – one of the key passes, which connects the state of Táchira with the department of Norte de Santander –, after the order of blockade by land and air with Colombia, under the argument of an alleged “conspiracy.” “international” during the investiture of Nicolás Maduro. Perhaps also to prevent the exodus of those who had the hope of the return of Edmundo González Urrutia and, with it, take the road back home. Since last January 3 and until yesterday, around 1,500 people a day have walked the 315 meters of this border crossing (on the right you leave Venezuela and on the left you enter) that separated them from Colombia, taking to his back a baggage of uncertainty and fear.

On the other side of the bridge

They chose to contemplate from the other side of the bridge the outcome of January 10, the day when, in the end, Nicolás Maduro dealt another blow to the people of Venezuela and was sworn in as president for the next six-year term and thus, turning 18 years old. in power. They did not trust and, when in doubt, preferred to get ahead of the foreseeable blockade. Others, however, were encouraged to wait a little longer on Venezuelan soil, following minute by minute the development of Maduro’s inauguration and the reactions of the opposition. And, thus, they were stranded in their own country.

Last Tuesday, the Chavista governor of the state of Táchira, Freddy Bernal, had assured that peace reigned in the territory and that “the police and military authorities have absolute control over the 164 kilometers that make up the border line.” The “absolute control” translated into the border closure at five in the morning on Friday and until next Monday, first with containers, which were later removed to enable a humanitarian passage for sick Venezuelans.

The flow of people had begun to grow on this iconic bridge after several days of little traffic due to the December holidays. «Then many people crossed into Venezuela to spend the holidays with their families. They came mainly from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. But starting on January 3, they began to leave through this border towards their host countries, because they feared the closure. They hastened their pace to leave the country,” Jonathan Maldonado, a journalist from San Antonio del Táchira, explained to ABC.

Expired passports

With the new year, Simón Bolívar recovered the flow of migrants: every day, about 500 Venezuelans with a valid passport, and between 900 and 1,000 with their expired identity card. The figures are not official, explains Maldonado, since the Venezuelan State has not offered official data for a long time. Many sources that work with immigration issues make their estimates and deliver the information to interested parties with one condition: not to reveal their identity.

In this way, it is estimated that between 3,000 and 3,500 people leave through the four border bridges that are active in Táchira in total every day, most of which are added to the eight million Venezuelans who left forcibly in the last decade. Others are part of the pendulum migration: they arrive in the Colombian municipality of Cúcuta to carry out procedures, go to medical consultations, shop or visit relatives.

And the Simón Bolívar International Bridge has been precisely the scene of the migratory and historical crisis of this punished country. It is also one of the most dynamic border crossings. During 2024, more than 230,000 people crossed here, with the Simón Bolívar being the most used by Venezuelan migrants. From January to December of last year, traffic reached record numbers. According to William Gómez, an expert on border issues, 52,500 crossings were registered during the first half of the year. And after the presidential elections in July, the migratory flow increased: between August and December, 185,000 people left Venezuela, with an average of 1,850 migrants each day.

Hours of interviews

Maldonado explained that controls have been greatly intensified. «There is a lot of control for the person who is entering and if he is a foreigner it is a much stricter control and many more hours in interviews. The DGCIM (General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence) is in charge of this process. This questioning takes place in a room and can last an hour or up to three.

Before the presidential elections were held, Machado warned Venezuela’s neighboring countries, such as Brazil and Colombia, that if Maduro sought to remain in power for another six-year term and by force, that would mean that in less than a year two, three , four or five million Venezuelans flee and join “the largest wave of migration we have seen so far.”