“Por eso trabajamos, para salvar vidas”: trayectorias y redes de venezolanos organizados en Cali, Colombia

Objective/context: This article analyzes the trajectories of Venezuelan migrants in Santiago de Cali through the creation and participation in migrant associations, and examines how these organizations position themselves and pursue their goals within Colombia’s recent social and policy context. The analytical framework brings together three concepts: unequal cities, transnational migrants, and 21stcentury citizenships. Methodology: Qualitative design combining ethnographic observation and indepth interviews. Conclusions: Venezuelan organizations function as civilsociety actors and nodal points that, among migrants facing precarity, foster the construction of a relational and moral order grounded in Christian values. Three discursive axes are identified: (1) beginnings in Cali— reception and efforts to safeguard migrants’ health and protection; (2) organizational trajectories and social networks—from humanitarian assistance to social inclusion; and (3) engagement with governmental and international institutions—beyond the local scale. Originality: The study advances knowledge on the social organization of Venezuelan migrants in Cali.