00:00Migration Colombia did not care that Isabela was at risk or that she was a refugee.
00:03She was also deported to Venezuela, the same place that made her flee and hide in Colombia.
00:08A few days ago we published Isabela's story in El Espectador,
00:11a trans woman who sought refuge in Colombia but who, paradoxically,
00:15She encountered stigma, criminalization, and that only a guardianship could guarantee her rights
00:19to a life far from the danger of Chavismo, but also to be a migrant in dignified conditions.
00:24The Constitutional Court resolved the case, in addition to annulling his deportation,
00:28He reminded everyone that migration is either a right or a punishment, and that anyone seeking asylum in Colombia...
00:32You can find them without fear of retaliation, violence, or, as happened to Isabela, constant threats.
00:38This is explained by the principle of non-refoulement, an international norm that establishes that a migrant,
00:43Even if he is undocumented, he has the right to find protection and not be returned to the place he fled from.
00:47What does that imply?
00:48That thousands of foreigners in Colombia are fleeing dictatorships, wars, or political persecution
00:53They can find refuge and feel calm for the first time in many years.
00:57For a year, Isabela wandered through legal labyrinths.
01:01She was an undocumented immigrant in Colombia and, no matter how much she wanted to, she could not resolve her immigration status.
01:05Accessing protected status or a residence permit was already an outdated option for her.
01:10And a visa was an impossibility that I couldn't afford, but I couldn't go back.
01:14In Venezuela, he witnessed the murder of several of his peers with diverse sexual orientations.
01:18and that the prisons would increasingly be filled with people who defended their rights against Chavismo.
01:23Furthermore, her status as a migrant, a member of the diverse sexuality community, and a sex worker
01:27They plunged her even further into arbitrariness and discrimination.
01:30That is exactly what the police told Colombian Immigration and even first and second court judges.
01:35instance,
01:36to whom she presented 98 pages of evidence showing how, if she were deported,
01:40They would surely be sending her to a death foretold.
01:43But nobody wanted to listen to her.
01:44After being imprisoned for several days, Isabela ended up in the hands of Venezuelan officials.
01:48and she had to share her location and send photos every so often to those who were looking out for her.
01:53that he was still alive.
01:55Thanks to the guardianship, Isabela, for the first time in 10 years of being in Colombia,
01:58has real opportunities to have basic necessities, such as an identity document,
02:02basic rights and services, such as health or access to subsidies.
02:06But the ruling has an impact beyond Isabela and its legal repercussions.
02:09Dublán Prieto, director of United Refugees, the organization that provided legal support to Isabela,
02:14He explains that it is a ruling that sets a precedent for the rights of migrants to be respected.
02:19She recalls that there are still half a million undocumented Venezuelans in Colombia.
02:23who, in the vast majority, fled from hunger and persecution in Venezuela.
02:27And thanks to this case, they can see justice as a refuge.
02:30Do you want to know more about gender-sensitive justice?
02:32Or about the rights that migrants have in Colombia?
02:34We invite you to see us on the social media channels of El Espectador, Impacto Mujer and Lado a Lado.
02:48Thank you!
