Asylum applications in the European Union by Venezuelan citizens during the first half of 2025 increased by 31% compared to the previous year. Photo: Social media
Guacamaya, September 16, 2025. For the first time in a decade, Venezuelans have surpassed Syrians as the top asylum seekers in the European Union. This shift coincides with a global debate on the future of international protection, fueled by a proposal from Donald Trump to the UN.
Citizens of Venezuela filed the most asylum applications in the European Union during the first half of 2025, with a 31% increase compared to the previous year, according to data from the European Asylum Agency (EUAA). A total of 399,000 applications were submitted across the Twenty-Seven, a 23% decrease from 2024, but with Spain as the epicenter for Venezuelan arrivals: 93% of their applications were concentrated in this country, which became the second-largest recipient after France.
The report also reflects a 66% plunge in applications from Syrians—who had topped the statistics for ten years—associated with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s in Damascus. At the same time, applications from Ukrainians rose by 29%, though they remain marginal compared to the 4.3 million people who maintain temporary protection in the EU.
Amid this transformation of migratory flows, the global asylum system could face a radical change. According to a Reuters report, Donald Trump plans to bring a proposal to the UN that would force refugees to seek protection in the first country of arrival, limit temporary protection schemes, and facilitate repatriations when the country of origin is deemed “safe.” If successful, this would represent the most profound reform in over 70 years to the 1951 and 1967 Geneva agreements, which shaped the international legal framework for refugees.
