PERCEPTION OF SOCIAL LEADERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS ON VENEZUELAN MIGRATION AND IMMIGRANTS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAICAO (LA GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA)

The article analyzes the perception of social leaders and representatives of public and private organizations about the migratory process and Venezuelan immigrants in the municipality of Maicao (La Guajira, Colombia). A qualitative research was developed using semi-structured interviews. Results show that there is a negative perception about the migratory process of Venezuelans, due among other factors to the high volume of immigrants, their socioeconomic background, and the length of the migratory process. The perceptions of the participants are consistent with the group conflict theory that states that in unfavorable economic contexts with a high presence of migrants, the competition for limited social goods and services increases, which leads to immigration being considered as a threat by natives.