BRAZIL: JUDGE SHUTS BORDER TO VENEZUELAN
MIGRANTS FLEEING HUNGER AND HARDSHIP
Judge says entry of immigrants suspended until
conditions for ‘humanitarian reception’ are created –
activists called it ‘absurd’
A judge in Brazil has blocked Venezuelans from entering the
border state of Roraima as local authorities harden their stance
against the flood of migrants fleeing hunger and hardship in their
home country.
Judge Helder Barreto said he had suspended the entry of
Venezuelan immigrants until the conditions for a “humanitarian
reception” are created but activists working with migrants
attacked it as “absurd”.
Sister Telma Lage from the non-profit Migration and Human
Rights Institute, which helps vulnerable migrants in Roraima’s
capital Boa Vista, said the judge had overstepped his authority. “[Venezuelans] are entering Brazil and seeking refuge
because of the vulnerable situation they find themselves in,” she
said. “What we fear is the lack of options for those near to the
border.”
Since 2015, more than 56,000 Venezuelans have sought
refuge or residency in Brazil amid continuing political turmoil and
economic collapse in their home country. […]
But the flood of migrants has severely stretched health and
education services in the poor state of Roraima.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/06/brazil-shuts-border-venezuelanmigrants)