UN envoy: As Venezuela exodus drags on many won’t go back

A special United Nations envoy says the Venezuela migration crisis has now entered a new stage in which many of those who have fled are increasingly unlikely to return.

A special United Nations envoy says the Venezuela migration crisis has now entered a new stage in which many of those who have fled are increasingly unlikely to return.

Eduardo Stein says in an interview with The Associated Press that Latin America has permanently changed as a result of the exodus in which over 4.6 million people have fled.

He says that even if there’s an immediate resolution to Venezuela’s crisis, it will be difficult for all those who left to quickly pick up and return.

As a result, Stein says, “The entire region won’t be the same.”

The U.N. refugee agency is calling on the international community to contribute $1.35 billion to help nations receiving migrants to respond to the crisis.