Brazil is set to impose new restrictions on the entry of certain Asian migrants starting 26th August, according to the justice ministry’s press office. This measure will affect migrants from Asian countries who need visas to stay in Brazil but will not apply to those from countries that are already exempt from visa requirements, such as the US and many European nations.

A Federal Police investigation revealed that many of these migrants buy flights with layovers in São Paulo’s international airport but use Brazil as a stopover before continuing their journey to the US and Canada. Over 70% of the requests for refuge at this airport are from Indian, Nepalese, or Vietnamese nationals.

Beginning next week, travellers without visas will have to either continue their journey immediately or return to their country of origin, according to the justice ministry. The ministry's report noted that since early last year, there has been significant disruption at Guarulhos Airport, located in the São Paulo metropolitan area, due to the large number of migrants.

The report stated, “Evidence suggests that those migrants, for the most part, are making use of the known — and extremely dangerous — route that goes from São Paulo to the western state of Acre, so they can access Peru and go toward Central America and then, finally, reach the US from its southern border.” An AP investigation in July found migrants from Vietnam and India travelling through the Amazon, with many returning to Acre state due to changes in US border policies.

Brazil’s justice ministry confirmed that the new rules will not affect the nearly 500 migrants currently staying at São Paulo’s international airport. Rêmullo Diniz, coordinator of Acre state’s border operations, mentioned that local authorities had discussed the situation with US diplomats. Diniz said, “We have seen growth both in the number of migrants coming here and in the number of nations they come from,” including Bangladesh and Indonesia. He expressed concerns about undocumented migrants and human trafficking networks.

On Wednesday, Brazil’s federal prosecutors reported a high number of foreigners arriving at São Paulo’s airport on LATAM flights without quickly exiting due to a backlog in the Brazilian migration system. The prosecutors' office plans to pressure airlines to provide basic supplies to these migrants while their refugee status requests are processed. Federal prosecutor Guilherme Rocha Göpfert emphasized, “It is important that we quickly decide on these refuge requests so that the growing arrival of foreigners does not impact the operation of the airport itself.”

According to federal police, Brazil received 9,082 refuge requests this year through July 15, more than double the total for 2023 and the highest in over a decade. However, only a few hundred of these requests were for documents to stay in Brazil. The federal police believe there is a “consolidated route of irregular migration in Brazil,” involving migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

Brazil has historically welcomed refugees, including many Afghans recently, but the increasing use of Brazil as a transit point for migration has frustrated the government, especially with the current burden of humanitarian visa applications from countries like Haiti, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

Brazil granted 11,248 humanitarian visas to Afghans between September 2021 and April 2024. In January 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva decided to rejoin the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, but his administration has made the guidelines for humanitarian visas more restrictive.

Image source: Moneycontrol