Venezuelans trying to emigrate to Peru are rushing to get there before Saturday when new rules will come into force requiring them to have valid passports, according to BBC.
So far, Venezuelans have been allowed to enter Peru with just their ID cards.
Many have been waiting for their passports for years with the authorities blaming “mafias” inside the registry services for the delays.
More than two million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014.
They are fleeing a severe economic crisis which has led to severe shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.
Many of those fleeing the country say they are doing so because they cannot get the operations and medical care they need.
On Thursday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urged Peru, and Ecuador, which already put a similar measure in place on 18 August, to “continue to allow those in need of international protection to access safety and seek asylum”.
According to UN figures, 26,000 entered Peru in 2017 but Peruvian migration chief Eduardo Sevilla says many more have arrived since.
