Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants enter Peru despite passport rule

Hundreds of Venezuelans fleeing their nation's economic and humanitarian crisis rushed to reach Peru before stiffer new rules go into effect that will make entering the fellow South American nation more difficult. (Source: AP)

Tired men, women and children, many lugging their belongings in suitcases, lined up at the Peru-Ecuador border to pass through migration authorities before Saturday, when Venezuelans will be required to present a passport to enter Peru.(Source: AP)

Peru's new measure follows in the footsteps of other nations that have been swamped with hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans. Authorities say the measure is necessary to know who is entering the country and what happens to them, but critics and rights groups warn it will only lead migrants to take more dangerous routes. (Source: AP)

While Peru doesn't share a border with Venezuela, many migrants try to reach it by going through Ecuador or Colombia, believing they will have a better shot at finding a job or obtaining legal status. (Source: AP)

Obtaining a passport has becoming increasingly difficult in Venezuela, where hyperinflation is expected to reach 1 million percent by the end of this year and there are shortages of basic supplies like paper and ink. (Source: AP)

The United Nations estimates 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled since 2014 as the country with the world's largest proven oil reserves plummets into an economic crisis worse than the Great Depression. (Source: AP)

Most are now leaving by land through Colombia, where more than 1 million have arrived in the last two years. Authorities in Ecuador say there are about 200,000 Venezuelans now living in the country, while in Peru the number has rapidly climbed to over 400,000.(Source: AP)