Venezuela's Economic Troubles Leading to False U.S. Asylum Applications

A report from El Universal documents skyrocketing asylum applications from Venezuelans seeking to enter the United States in recent years. According to American immigration authorities, the number of applications from this South American country tripled between 2013 and 2014. The U.S. government is becoming increasingly concerned about immigration fraud from this region, likely linked -- at least in part -- to Venezuela's economic decline.

In 2013, Venezuela's economy grew by only 1.3 percent. In 2014 it contracted by four percent, and it is forecast by the International Monetary Fund to contract a further seven percent in 2015. While the rate of contraction is predicted to lessen in coming years, the IMF does not foresee the country's economy expanding until after 2020 at the earliest. Since 2013, per capita GDP on a purchasing power parity basis has declined 12 percent and is projected to continue declining over the next few years down to a value nearly 20 percent below the 2013 peak. The unemployment rate has increased from 7.5 to 12.8 percent over this period, and is expected to rise up to more than 25 percent between now and 2020. Inflation is spiraling out of control. Already high at 21 percent per year in 2012, it has now reached an annual rate of almost 100 percent. As Venezuela's economy continues to collapse, the U.S. can expect the number of fraudulent asylum seekers to increase.

Sierra Rayne——Bio and Archives

Sierra Rayne holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and writes regularly on environment, energy, and national security topics. He can be found on Twitter at @srayne_ca