Brazil is restricting access for citizens from some Asian countries. This was announced by the Ministry of Public Security. This affects people who travel to Brazil with the aim of migrating from there to the USA or Canada.
Starting next week, Brazil will tighten entry regulations for transit travelers. Foreign travelers without a Brazilian visa will have to travel directly to their destination or return to their home country starting Monday, the Brazilian Ministry of Public Security told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
According to the ministry, the reason for the measure is a boom in foreign travelers who use Brazil as a supposed stopover to apply for asylum during their stay. This often serves as a safeguard on the way to the USA or Canada.
“If they are caught at the US border, they will be sent back to Brazil and not to their home country,” said a police source familiar with the matter. This would give the migrants another opportunity to try to reach the US or Canada.
According to Brazilian federal police documents seen by the AP, these migrants often buy plane tickets with a stopover at Sao Paulo’s international airport, but then stay in Brazil to travel north from the South American country.
According to official reports, more than 8,300 asylum applications were submitted at Brazil’s international airport between the beginning of 2023 and the end of June this year. Of these, only 117 applications remained active in the Brazilian migration system.
“This means that 99.59 percent of the people who sought refuge at the airport – 8,210 people – either left the country or remained in the country illegally,” said a ministry report. Most of the applicants came from India, Vietnam and Nepal.
With the new regulations, the Brazilian government hopes to curb abuse of the asylum system while ensuring safety for genuine asylum seekers.
Reuters/AP/lk
