The Integration border bridge linking Assis in Brazil with Iñapari in Peru, photographed on June 20, 2024. (AP Photo)
Brazil is set to enforce new restrictions on certain Asian migrants starting Monday. This move targets those from countries such as India, Nepal, and Vietnam who have been using Brazil as a transit point for migrating to the United States and Canada. The decision comes after increased scrutiny revealed that many of these migrants use Sao Paulo’s international airport as a stopover before continuing their journey north.
An investigation by Brazil’s Federal Police has found that a significant portion of refugee requests at the airport come from these nationalities. The problem has been exacerbated by migrants buying flights with layovers in Sao Paulo but choosing to stay in Brazil instead of travelling onward. This has led to a high volume of refugees at the airport, putting a strain on Brazil’s migration system.
Under the new guidelines, travellers who do not have visas will be required to either continue their journey immediately or return to their home countries. This measure aims to prevent Brazil from becoming a mere stopover point for those aiming to reach the US or Canada.
The new rules come in response to a report from federal police investigator Marinho da Silva Rezende Júnior, who highlighted the growing issue at Guarulhos Airport, which is located in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s second-largest city. According to the report, many migrants use a dangerous route from Sao Paulo to Acre, a state in Brazil’s far west, before heading into Peru and eventually travelling north to Central America and the US.
An investigation conducted in July revealed that migrants from countries like Vietnam and India were travelling through the Amazon and returning to Acre due to shifting US border policies. Brazil’s justice ministry clarified that the new restrictions would not affect the 484 migrants already at Sao Paulo’s airport.
Brazil’s federal prosecutors have expressed concerns about the airport being overwhelmed with refugees, particularly from airlines such as LATAM. They are urging the airline to provide basic necessities to the waiting migrants. Federal prosecutor Guilherme Rocha Göpfert emphasized the need for timely decisions on refugee applications to ensure that the airport’s operations are not disrupted.
So far this year, Brazil has received over 9,000 refugee requests, more than double the total for all of 2023. This is the highest number in over ten years. Although Brazil has traditionally been welcoming to refugees, including those from Afghanistan, the recent influx has strained the system.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who rejoined the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration in early 2023, has maintained humanitarian visas but introduced stricter guidelines for their issuance. This shift is part of an effort to manage the increasing number of migrants and alleviate pressure on Brazil’s migration services.
