The government of Brazil has restricted entry to migrants into the country who do not have the required visa or a plane ticket to a destination country, due to the fact that a transit visa is not required in the South American giant, in order to stop the arrival of individuals seeking refuge.
The measure, which came into effect last Monday, August 26, was announced by TV Globo, which had exclusive access to a report from the Federal Police.
The document explains that Brazil has recently been accused of being a route for criminal organizations involved in human trafficking.
Jean Uema, the national Secretary of Justice, explained that anyone who applies for asylum in Brazil must demonstrate that they are being persecuted in their country of origin in order to be authorized to enter national territory.
According to the official, inadmissibility is a mechanism provided for in Brazilian immigration law, without violating the international guarantees that Brazil has adhered to regarding asylum.
What is dictated starting this Monday by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security establishes that:
- Immigrants who have purchased a ticket to another country safely but have made a stopover in Brazil due to the connection must continue their journey.
- Brazilian authorities understand that if the immigrant bought a ticket to another country, they do not intend to stay by seeking asylum.
They point out as important that this measure will only be applied to immigrants arriving from countries where Brazil requires a visa. It will not apply to countries where Brazil does not require a visa.
Statistics show that the majority of people seeking refuge in Brazil come from Southeast Asia and countries on the African continent, with the aim of entering the United States and Canada illegally.
In total, 70% of asylum applications come from citizens of Nepal, Vietnam, and India.
A document obtained by the AP agency states that the federal police of Brazil received 9,082 asylum requests by July 15 of this year. This figure surpasses the total for 2023 and is the highest in a decade, according to the data.
However, not all applications remain active in the National Migration Registration System. Currently, only 117 applications remain active, which is 1.41%. Most have already left the country or are staying irregularly.
Until Monday, in Brazil, immigration law was more favorable for asylum seekers. By applying for it, immigrants acquired a status that allowed them to access work, healthcare, and other rights while their applications were evaluated by the responsible authorities, a process that could take years, but did not leave refugees helpless.
This, along with its economic, legal, and pragmatic characteristics, also makes it attractive to Cubans who decide to leave the island due to the economic crisis being experienced.
The entry routes to Brazil for Cubans are multiple, although one of the most common is through neighboring Guyana.
A Cuban woman, who recently made the journey along with her pregnant sister, her daughter, her mother, and her father, shared images from the trip that she took with a wooden figurine of the Virgin of Charity of Copper.
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