Bolivia's Refugee Crisis: Who Seeks Asylum?

Bolivia is both a destination and a transit country for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. As of November 2022, there were 14,694 refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Bolivia, most of whom were from Venezuela. Bolivia's constitution guarantees the right to asylum, and the country has a well-developed regulatory framework surrounding this right. The country's refugee process is based on the belief that there is a human right to asylum. Bolivia also has laws in place to protect refugees from discrimination and ensure their rights, such as the right to family unity. In 2022, 780 people from Bolivia fled and applied for asylum in other countries, mainly the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Who does Bolivia host as refugees?

Bolivia hosts refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, most of whom are from Venezuela. As of November 2022, there were 14,694 refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in the country. Bolivia is both a destination and a transit country for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants.

The Bolivian government works with the UNHCR and other partners to guarantee the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. They advocate for their access to territory, asylum, and regularization, while providing basic goods and services such as temporary accommodation, food, and hygiene kits. The UNHCR also supports the livelihoods of refugees and migrants by strengthening their autonomous businesses. In 2021, the organization expanded its operational capacity by agreeing with new partners to provide assistance, protection, and livelihood support in the main urban centers of La Paz, El Alto, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as well as the border areas of Desaguadero, Oruro, Pisiga, Villazón, and Villamontes.

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for humanitarian response in terms of access to shelter, food, water, clothing, and hygiene kits for refugees and migrants. Strategic support is also required to enhance their capacity to develop socioeconomic independence in Bolivia.

Bolivia's Constitution guarantees that all nationals and foreign workers in the country can freely exercise their rights. The country has taken steps to ensure the rights of migrant workers and their families, including adopting national regulations, punishing discrimination, and signing and ratifying international instruments. Bolivia has also amended a law governing its "Unified, Universal, and Free Health System," which provides comprehensive free health care to foreigners. This is a reciprocal agreement, meaning that Bolivians abroad should also have access to the same services.

According to UNHCR data, 780 people from Bolivia fled and applied for asylum in other countries in 2022, which corresponds to approximately 0.006% of all residents. The most common destination countries have been the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Overall, 85% of asylum applications have been rejected, with Brazil and the United Kingdom being the most successful for Bolivian refugees.

What rights do refugees have in Bolivia?

Bolivia has a history of welcoming refugees, notably accepting 30,000 Jewish refugees from 1938 to 1941 during the Holocaust. In more recent times, the country has faced a crisis of climate refugees, with the drying up of Lake Poopo leading to nearly a thousand refugees forming shanty towns outside of La Paz.

The Bolivian government is a vocal advocate for refugee rights and statehood for refugees worldwide. It has established a system for providing protection to refugees through the National Commission on Refugees and has a legal structure and framework to accommodate those seeking refuge. The country also has a registry of refugees and stateless persons.

Refugees in Bolivia have the right to work once their residency status has been granted, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) assists with economic integration programs to support entrepreneurs and small business owners. However, refugees do not have the right to work while waiting for their applications to be processed.

In terms of other rights, the Bolivian constitution and laws technically guarantee a wide range of human rights for all individuals within the country, including refugees. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, and the right to a fair trial. However, in practice, these rights are often not respected or enforced, and there are issues of government corruption and judicial inefficiency.

Refugees in Bolivia also have access to basic services such as education and healthcare. The right to education is guaranteed without any form of discrimination, and the number of foreign students in the educational system has been gradually increasing. Additionally, Bolivia has a "Unified, Universal and Free Health System" that provides comprehensive free healthcare to foreigners, based on the principle of reciprocity.

How does Bolivia support refugees?

Bolivia, a landlocked country in the heart of South America, has a history of welcoming refugees. During the Holocaust, when most countries were closing their borders to Jewish refugees, Bolivia opened its doors, accepting 30,000 Jewish refugees from 1938 to 1941. Bolivian consulates in European capitals provided visas, and the refugees travelled via Chile to La Paz on a train route that became known as El Expres Judio (the Jewish Express).

Today, Bolivia is facing an influx of climate refugees. The drying up of Lake Poopo, an important cultural resource, has led to nearly a thousand refugees leaving the mountains and forming shantytowns outside of La Paz. The melting of the glaciers of the Andes, drought, and changing climate conditions could be a source of further instability and refugee flows in the future.

In addition to advocating for refugee rights and statehood for refugees worldwide, the Bolivian government works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in the country. As of November 2022, there were 14,694 refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Bolivia, most of them from Venezuela. UNHCR works with the Bolivian government and partners to guarantee the rights of refugees and migrants, advocate for their access to territory, asylum, and regularization, and provide basic goods and services such as temporary accommodation, food, and hygiene kits. They also support the livelihoods of refugees and migrants by strengthening their autonomous businesses.

UNHCR's operational capacity in Bolivia was expanded in 2021 through agreements with new partners, allowing them to provide assistance, protection, and livelihood support in main urban centres (La Paz, El Alto, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra) and border areas (Desaguadero, Oruro, Pisiga, Villazón, and Villamontes). The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has also required a strengthening of the humanitarian response in terms of access to shelter, food, water, clothing, and hygiene kits for those in need.

Asylum-seekers from Bolivia

Bolivia is a destination and transit country for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants. It offers refugee status for humanitarian reasons, protecting those facing persecution due to race, religion, political opinion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group. The country also grants refugee status to those facing threats from generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal strife, or massive human rights violations.

In 2022, 780 people from Bolivia fled and applied for asylum in other countries, mainly the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom. However, 85% of these asylum applications were rejected.

Bolivia, on the other hand, hosted 14,694 refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants as of November 2022, most of them from Venezuela. The country works with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to guarantee the rights of these individuals and provide them with basic goods and services. The UNHCR also assists in strengthening the socioeconomic independence of refugees and migrants in Bolivia.

The process of seeking asylum in Bolivia involves interviews and the provision of reliable information to support the refugee claim. Applicants have the right to be interviewed by a person of the same sex and to receive assistance from interpreters or translators if they do not speak Spanish. They also receive temporary documents, information on their rights and obligations, and notifications of decisions made by the National Refugee Commission (CONARE).

Bolivian law establishes that the recognition of refugee status is an apolitical and humanitarian act, and refugees are expected to refrain from participating in political activities. Refugee status can be revoked if the individual commits crimes against peace, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.

Bolivian migrant workers' rights

Bolivia has been characterised as a country of emigration, with an estimated 700,000 Bolivians living abroad, around 7% of the total population. However, the Bolivian State has also promoted international immigration to achieve a process of colonisation of sparsely populated lands, mainly in eastern Bolivia. Despite these attempts, the total number of immigrants has never been significant, standing at around 1% of the population between the 1976 and 2001 censuses, and never exceeding 100,000 people.

The rights of Bolivian migrant workers are protected by the Bolivian Constitution, which guarantees that all nationals and foreign workers in Bolivia can freely exercise their rights. Bolivia has taken several steps to ensure these rights, including:

• Adopting national regulations
• Punishing discrimination
• Signing and ratifying international instruments, such as the inter-American social security agreement
• Amending a law governing its "Unified, Universal and Free Health System" to provide comprehensive free healthcare to foreigners, with the same agreement applying to Bolivians abroad
• Granting free identity cards to migrants
• Streamlining the process for temporary and permanent residents
• Enacting a law to review the conferring of citizenship to those born to a Bolivian parent abroad
• Adopting a process to fully guarantee the rights of migrant workers, including access to the state pension system
• Guaranteeing the right to education for all, without any form of discrimination

In addition to these legal protections, Bolivia has also established the National Migration Board to address challenges related to migration and facilitate the regularisation of migrants. The country has also implemented migrant monitoring oversight operations to ensure that proper routes are used to enter the country and to prevent irregular migration.

Regarding the protection of Bolivian migrant workers' rights in other countries, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) plays a crucial role. IOM works with governments to facilitate regulated labour migration processes and provide direct assistance to migrants. They promote policies and programs that benefit migrants, governments, and societies mutually and individually. IOM also supports the social, economic, and cultural inclusion of migrants in their new environments and educates host communities about the potential contributions of newcomers.

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