<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:12.25pt"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hundreds of Venezuelan migrantsentered Peru last night to seek refugee status despite a new rule prohibitingVenezuelans without passports from crossing into Peru via Ecuador. Peruimplemented the passport requirement yesterday, due to a four-fold increase inmigrants fleeing economic collapse in Venezuela in recent months. The directorof the public defender's office in the border town of Tumbes, Abel Chiroquesaid children, pregnant women, the ill and the elderly had been allowed entryfor humanitarian reasons.</span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;line-height:normal;background:white"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:6.5pt;font-family:arial,sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in">Peru's new measure follows in thefootsteps of other nations that have been swamped with thousands ofVenezuelans. Authorities say the measure is necessary to know who is enteringthe country and what happens to them. Officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peruwill meet in Bogota next week to seek a way forward. <o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br />