A new report from the World Bank has found that the forced displacement of millions of Venezuelans has helped consolidate the regime of Nicolás Maduro while strengthening organized crime groups in the country.
The January 2025 report explores the connections between mass migration and the consolidation of autocratic rule in Venezuela. More than 7.7 million people have abandoned the country since 2014, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The authors classified this migration from Venezuela as “forced displacement” due to the fact that those who migrate do not have the option to stay and live a dignified life.
According to the report, this unprecedented mass exodus has allowed the government to exert greater territorial control through criminal and political means.
“In the medium term, forced displacement aids the perpetuation of such rulers by weakening political opposition and abetting the expansion of organized crime and illicit economic activities. These two effects further dampen pressure for economic and social change,” the report stated.
Below, InSight Crime looks at two of the report’s main takeaways.
Hybrid Criminal Groups Gain Strength as Political Opposition Wanes
The report found that one of the greatest impacts of this mass migration has been a rise in organized crime and the presence of criminal groups in the municipalities most affected.
The mass exodus of citizens has been exploited by criminal groups to take control of these territories and expand their illicit operations. These organizations have been able to take advantage of the absence of civilian control and of people who could report their actions, allowing them to operate with greater impunity.
Some of the groups who have seized on this opportunity form part of what InSight Crime has labelled the hybrid state, where elements of the state have converged with the criminal world. This includes the civilian armed groups created by the government known as Peace Squads (Cuadrillas de Paz – CUPAZ) and the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN), the Colombian guerrilla organization that now also operates in Venezuela. Both groups play a key role in consolidating the Maduro regime by helping the state maintain political and territorial control and gain access to criminal economies, according to InSight Crime’s investigations.
The report highlights that one of the most alarming consequences of this new reality is the decline in political opposition to the regime and a reduction in citizen participation in local politics, as one of the primary responsibilities of these criminal actors is to attack dissidents and prevent protests.
Although the report’s conclusions highlight that criminal groups have grown in power in the municipalities most affected by migration, especially in border areas, InSight Crime’s own field work showed that in some regions of Venezuela, primarily in the center of the country, large-scale migration has led to a reduction in crime rates. This decline is partly due to the migration of certain criminal elements, but also to the greater territorial and criminal control achieved by some armed groups, which, due to their links with the regime, have an interest in prohibiting small-scale criminal activity in order to project an image of security.
An Exodus and A Boon for Human Trafficking Networks
Another conclusion of the report is that the migration of millions of Venezuelans has also facilitated the rise of illicit activities like human trafficking. These criminal economies are controlled by both criminal networks in destination countries and by Venezuela-based groups.
Some Venezuelan criminal networks have specialized in human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and established themselves in migrant-receiving countries, which has strengthened their operations.
SEE ALSO: The Women Ensnared in Tren de Aragua’s Criminal Web in Peru
Taking advantage of mass irregular migration, groups involved in human trafficking deceive and manipulate vulnerable people, especially young women, promising them a better life in order to recruit them and ultimately force them into sex work.
One of the most prominent criminal actors in this economy is the Venezuelan mega-gang Tren de Aragua, which has generated substantial profits through migrant smuggling, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation in countries like Chile, Peru, and Colombia.
In addition, there are other criminal networks operating in Venezuela border states like Falcón, Sucre, and Delta Amacuro, which transport victims to Caribbean nations like Trinidad and Tobago and the Dutch islands.
Featured image: Venezuelan migrants flee the economic and political crisis in their country and into neighboring Colombia (Photo: W Radio)