No. 35: Venezuelan Migration and COVID-19 Response Measures in Urban Areas of Ecuador

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador, exacerbating their vulnerabilities due to restrictive containment measures, socioeconomic instability, and barriers to healthcare and basic services. This paper examines the intersection of pandemic-related restrictions, migrant precarity, and state responses, highlighting the disproportionate effects on urban Venezuelan migrants. Key challenges included irregular migration pathways, increased food and housing insecurity, exclusion from early vaccination programs, and heightened exposure to gender-based violence. Despite Ecuador’s early adoption of an inclusive vaccination strategy, systemic inequalities persisted, limiting migrants’ social and economic integration. The findings contribute to broader discussions on migration governance, humanitarian responses, and the securitization of migration in Ecuador.