Brazilian Government Tightens Visa Regulations Starting Next Week
The Brazilian government announced on Wednesday (August 21) that it will tighten its visa regulations for entry starting next week due to reports indicating that Brazil has become a transit point for illegal immigrants entering the United States and Canada, raising concerns about potential exploitation by human trafficking groups.
The new measure, effective from next Monday, will impact immigrants from Asian countries who require visas to stay in Brazil. This does not apply to citizens from Asian countries that currently enjoy visa-free access to Brazil. American citizens and many European citizens also do not need visas to enter Brazil.
According to an investigation by the Federal Police of Brazil, many immigrants from various countries often purchase tickets to other South American countries but when transiting through Brazil, they file for asylum and then start traveling northward.
Police reports indicate that over 70% of asylum seekers at airports come from India, Nepal, or Vietnam, while the remaining 30% are from African countries such as Somalia, Cameroon, Ghana, and Ethiopia.
Authorities in Brazil stated that starting next Monday, these travelers without Brazilian entry visas must board their connecting flights to their stated destination or return to their home countries.
The Federal Police reported to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice that since the beginning of last year, a large influx of immigrants at Guarulhos Airport in the greater metropolitan area of São Paulo has caused “tremendous chaos”.
Another document stated: “Evidence suggests that many immigrants are using the extremely dangerous route from São Paulo to the western state of Acre to enter Peru, travel to Central America, and eventually reach the southern border of the United States.”
The Ministry of Justice in Brazil clarified that the new guidelines do not apply to approximately 500 immigrants camping at São Paulo International Airport.
Coordinator of the police group responsible for border operations in Acre, Diniz, told the Associated Press that the government implemented this move after discussions with U.S. diplomats.
Diniz noted an increasing number of immigrants from various nations arriving in the region, including Bangladesh and Indonesia. “Some of them lack documentation, while others possess fake documents from other countries,” Diniz remarked. “This is a concern for us as they may evade the police.”
He added, “There are also human trafficking networks taking away unaccompanied children and trafficking drugs.”
A senior police official informed Reuters, “Applying for asylum here (in Brazil) is an assurance. If they are caught at the U.S. border, they will be sent back to Brazil, not their homeland.”
A document indicated that as of July 15, the Federal Police of Brazil had received 9,082 asylum requests this year, but only a few hundred sought formal documentation to stay in Brazil. This suggests that most individuals may have left the country or are staying illegally in Brazil.
The document stated that police are certain “there is a unified irregular migration route in Brazil, with a significant number engaging in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, creating fraudulent use of refugee status applications.”
(Reference: Reuters, Associated Press)