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Original article: Corredor Humanitario: Una inviable deportación encubierta

Ethics and Democracy Expert Warns That the Measure Fails to Ensure Voluntariness or Safety for Migrants in Transit.

In response to José Kast’s announcement regarding the implementation of humanitarian corridors aimed at expediting the return of Venezuelan citizens, Álvaro Ramis, a doctor in Ethics and Democracy, warned that the lack of a coordinated regional framework and the absence of legal guarantees could turn this measure into a systematic violation of fundamental rights, deviating from international protection standards.

Ramis highlights a critical point where assistance ceases and gives way to an expulsion tool masked in diplomatic terms. He explains that this phenomenon occurs when relocation stops being optional and is presented as the sole escape from irregularity or the threat of sanctions. In such a scenario, he notes, «the humanitarian language ceases to describe a policy of care and starts to conceal a logic of expulsion,» losing its original protective purpose.

The projected strategy resembles a forced displacement system that would begin at the northern border of Chile and Peru and end in areas like Cúcuta, Colombia, stressing that these types of routes do not guarantee dignified conditions at various stages. He explains, «this is an externalization of expulsion, which shifts the problem to other countries and increases the risks for affected individuals,» rendering it incompatible with the principle of non-refoulement.

To prevent these routes from becoming zones of legal exception, Ramis proposes establishing legal safeguards that are currently absent. The primary safeguard is to ensure the process is strictly voluntary and that individuals have the right to withdraw at any moment to seek international protection. Without this free and informed consent, any corridor ceases to be a measure of assistance and transforms into a tool for state control over vulnerable populations.

Another crucial aspect for Ramis is the ongoing responsibility the state promoting the measure must maintain throughout the journey to the final destination. He asserts that there should be a monitoring mechanism by international bodies to verify material conditions and access to independent legal assistance. Without this traceability, he warns that «the corridor transforms into an exceptional space where protection dilutes and arbitrariness becomes normalized» due to the lack of external oversight.

Regarding route safety, Ramis indicates that the geography of the Southern Cone and the disparity of regulations among neighboring countries would make the militarization of the route inevitable. Unlike the European context, South America lacks a political architecture that harmonizes border controls with a rights-based approach, leading to security relying on reinforced police forces, which in practice «shifts the focus from protecting individuals to controlling movement,» increasing exposure to abuses.

Ultimately, the specialist concludes that implementing a route of this extent merely redistributes and conceals the dangers along the way. Navigating various territorial sovereignties with their own migration interests, the viability of the initiative hinges on the ability to impose order over justice.

Without a robust regional framework, the corridor ceases to be a true humanitarian solution and transforms into a repressive management mechanism prioritizing the expulsion of individuals over their integrity.

La entrada Humanitarian Corridor: A Concealed Violation of Rights Disguised as Deportation se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.