The first and second time Yajaira Ugarte was robbed at gunpoint in the Venezuelan city of Valencia, she dug in her heels and soldiered on. She continued going to her job at a fabric shop in the city, making sure to look around carefully as she locked up the store for the night.
But after her third holdup, Ms. Ugarte decided she’d had enough.
“After that, I didn’t leave my house for two weeks,” says Ms. Ugarte, from inside the offices of a Venezuelan community center on Spain’s Canary Island of Tenerife. “I look at how Venezuela is now … it’s total anarchy.”
Why We Wrote This
With the Trump administration giving the cold shoulder to migrants, Venezuelans seeking a haven from their country’s chaos are turning to Spain for safety. And Spain is opening its doors, even amid Europe’s rightward political winds.
Nine months ago, Ms. Ugarte made the difficult decision that has faced many Venezuelans for two decades – to leave her loved ones, belongings, and country for a new life elsewhere. She boarded a plane to Tenerife, not knowing if or when she would ever go back home. This month, her 25-year-old son joined her.
Ms. Ugarte joined the nearly 8 million Venezuelans who have left their country since 2015, due to the country’s ongoing political crisis that has resulted in high levels of crime, food shortages, and hyperinflation. Around 85% have settled in other Latin American countries, and over a million live in the United States.
But an increasing number of Venezuelans are choosing Europe. In the first half of 2025, almost 49,000 Venezuelans applied for asylum in the European Union (plus Norway and Switzerland). That’s more citizens than from any other country, including Afghans and Syrians. Most of the Venezuelans have gone to Spain due to the relative ease of immigrating there – requiring only a plane ticket, a passport, and a little money in the bank.
As the U.S. government becomes increasingly hostile toward Venezuelans, Spain could be the new El Dorado for those seeking safety and a better life. Meanwhile, Spain’s economy stands to make gains. It’s not all roses, however, and immigration campaigners warn that Venezuelans still face long waits for Spanish residency, which can lead to poverty or years of exploitative under-the-table work.
“Can Spain be an example on immigration for the rest of Europe? That depends,” says Daniel Buraschi, an assistant professor of history and migration at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife. “There are lots of things that can be improved. Attitudes towards Venezuelans are changing. Now we have the extreme right Vox party. But overall, the situation here is better.”
Unwelcome in America …
Spain and Venezuela share strong ties that go back to Spain’s colonial period. Migration between the two countries has ebbed and flowed in the last century, as Spain weathered its civil war and the 2008 financial crisis, and Venezuela has faced multiple political coups.
Today, most Venezuelans in Spain live in Madrid, Barcelona, and Tenerife. There are so many Venezuelans in the Canary Islands that locals refer to Venezuela as the “eighth Canary Island.”
That shared language and culture is partly why Angelica Vilela chose Tenerife as her new home rather than the U.S., when she realized she had no future in Venezuela.
“The situation in the U.S. is explosive,” says Ms. Vilela, who volunteers at the nonprofit Asociación Amigos Canarios Venezolanos in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, and hopes to finish her university degree. “Honestly, I have never thought about going there.”
Those feelings were crystallized for Ms. Vilela this month, when one of her cousins was detained by ICE officials after an immigration meeting – a situation that has become increasingly common since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. As of September 2025, more than 58,000 people are being held in ICE detention centers and upwards of 200,000 people have been deported.
The Trump administration has specifically targeted Venezuelans. In May, Mr. Trump ended the temporary protected status (TPS) that President Joe Biden granted to around 350,000 Venezuelans. While Mr. Trump’s effort was ruled illegal on Sept. 5 (though subject to appeal), Venezuelans are currently barred from entering the U.S. in most situations, even with business or tourist visas.
And this month, the U.S. launched several deadly strikes on speedboats in Venezuelan waters that U.S. authorities claimed were operated by criminals carrying illegal drugs headed to the United States.
“One day Trump says one thing, the next day a different thing. No one knows what to expect,” says Marcela Máspero, president of the Tenerife-based nonprofit Asociación Social Solidaridad Venezuela. “Venezuelans are in the U.S., Chile, Spain. … Our families are totally broken.”
… Welcome in Spain?
Spain’s government wants to be there to catch them. In May, it introduced regulations that will make it easier for migrants to obtain work permits and residency, and it continues to prioritize Latin Americans over migrants from other parts of the world. After two years of legal residency, they can apply for Spanish citizenship, making it one of the fastest such routes in Europe.
In early September, at a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez insisted that “migration is an opportunity.” He went on to say that migrants made significant contributions to his country’s economy, representing 25% of Spain’s per capita GDP.
“The vast majority of Spanish citizens understand quite well that migration is an opportunity and not just a moral duty,” said Mr. Sánchez.
But the rise of the far-right Vox party is slowly changing the discourse on immigration in Spanish society, and a housing crisis has only heightened anti-foreigner sentiment. While a 2019 Pew survey found that Spaniards had the most positive view of immigrants in Europe, a more recent poll showed that 80% felt that there was “too much” immigration.
And even if the Spanish government is trying to make it easier for Venezuelans to integrate into European society, most face financial instability and long waits for paperwork that make daily life just as difficult as any other migrant’s experience.
Most overstay the 90 visa-free days that are allowed for Venezuelan passport holders, but then they must wait an average of 18 months for residency and legal working papers, says Ms. Máspero. In the meantime, many engage in under-the-table, unreliable work.
“There are lots of scenarios of elderly person or child care where families will hire an immigrant who is willing to work many, many hours, undeclared,” says Natalia Oldano, a training coordinator for the Tenerife-based community action group Mosaico Acción Social. “We’re talking about exploitation. Modern slavery. The language might not be an obstacle for Venezuelans to integrate here, but there are other challenges.”
Still, many Venezuelans are willing to endure a few years of financial struggle in exchange for long-term stability. Though Latin American countries like Colombia and Peru are a natural destination for emigrants, they offer significantly less potential for prosperity than Spain does with its better-paying jobs.
And while the U.S. is still seen by some as the pinnacle of financial opportunity, Venezuelans there typically earn lower incomes than the average immigrant, and they are less likely to become naturalized American citizens than the average immigrant.
All of those things were on Kenny Ugarte’s mind when he decided to join his mother in Tenerife. He could have chosen France or the U.S. – he loves languages – but he sees his future in Spain.
“Before, the U.S. was the goal for people in Venezuela but now, the main goal is to leave,” says Mr. Ugarte, who arrived in Tenerife at the end of August. “It’s surreal to be here. I’ve been dreaming of this for so long, just to live my life.”
