Brazilian Authorities Tighten Entry Rules to Anticipate Migrant Transit to North America

JAKARTA - Brazil will tighten rules on entering the country without a visa starting next week, the government said on Wednesday, after a surge in migrants using the South American nation as a stopover on their way to the United States and Canada.

Starting Monday, foreign travelers without Brazilian visas heading to other countries will have to continue on to their destinations or return to their home countries, Brazil's Public Security Ministry told Reuters in a statement.

According to two reports from authorities and a senior police source, investigations have found that the migrants have asked to stay in Brazil, citing allegations of persecution and threats in their home countries.

After being granted protection in Brazil, many often travel north overland, mainly to the United States or Canada through the dangerous Darien Gap, which connects Colombia and Panama, the ministry said, citing police investigations.

"They are asking for protection (in Brazil) as a guarantee," the senior police source said, according to Reuters on Aug. 22.

"If they are caught at the U.S. border, they will be sent back to Brazil, not to their home countries," he added.

Brazil has seen a surge in foreign travelers, especially from Asia, who land in the country for a stopover and then apply for protection during their stay, the ministry said.

Now, those travelers without visas will not be allowed to stay in Brazil.

From the beginning of 2023 to the end of June this year, more than 8,300 requests for protection were filed at Brazil’s busiest international airport, according to the ministry. Of those requests, only 117 remain active in Brazil’s national migration system.

"That means that 99.59 percent of people who requested protection at the airport, or about 8,210, have left the country or are staying irregularly," one of the reports said.

More than 70 percent of applicants during the period came from India, Vietnam and Nepal, the report said, which national Justice Minister Jean Uema told Reuters bucks historical trends.

Of the asylum requests analyzed, nearly 17 percent left the country within 30 days, one of the reports showed, mostly through Arce State on the border with Peru.