A Venezuelan migrant carrying her son, stands on the Pan-American Highway outside an immigration office in an attempt to cross from Ecuador into Peru moments after stricter entry requirements went into effect, in Tumbes, Peru, Saturday, June 15, 2019. With its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
The Associated Press
AGUAS VERDES, Peru (AP) - Riot police are guarding Peru's northern border to ensure that only Venezuelan migrants who hold a passport and humanitarian visa can enter the country.
The new requirements took effect Saturday as an influx of Venezuelans rushed to a border crossing in the region of Tumbes.
StephanÃa Robles and her five-year-old son were two of the last migrants to enter the Andean country with just their national ID cards. The 30-year-old said she had come to "look for a better life" and that her husband and sisters were in Peru.
Peruvian President MartÃn Vizcarra has said that the new rules will make immigration "safer and more orderly." But human rights groups have criticized the move, describing it as an attempt to lessen the numbers of needy people who are entering.
Venezuelan migrants walk on the Pan-American Highway outside an immigration office in an attempt to cross from Ecuador into Peru moments after stricter entry requirements went into effect, in Tumbes, Peru, Saturday, June 15, 2019. With its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
The Associated Press
Venezuelan migrants run on the Pan-American Highway outside an immigration office in an attempt to cross from Ecuador into Peru moments after stricter entry requirements went into effect, in Tumbes, Peru, Saturday, June 15, 2019. With its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
The Associated Press