Invisible or ignored? COVID-19 and Venezuelan asylum seekers in Peru

Peru receives the second-highest number of Venezuelans after Colombia and more Venezuelan asylum seekers than any other country in the world. This article explores how COVID-19 has affected the living conditions of this group in Peru. The role of the Peruvian state in producing irregularity is analysed, as well as how this condition exacerbates the Venezuelan population's socioeconomic vulnerability. The findings show the state's active participation in producing this irregularity, mainly by restricting access to the refugee system and failing to consider applying the expanded definition of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, which has increased socioeconomic vulnerability, especially during the pandemic.