Brazil gov’t considers limiting entry of Venezuelans

Brazilian President Michel Temer said the government has been considering handing out queue numbers to organize the entry of Venezuelans in Brazil, particularly in Roraima, the Brazilian state bordering Venezuela. The statement was made Wednesday (Aug. 29).

In a radio interview granted this morning in Pernambuco, in northeastern Brazil, Temer once again rebuked the Venezuelan government for having refused to accept help from Brazil, which, in Temer’s view, could have prevented the number of immigrants from becoming so high, as well as avoided “disharmony in the South American continent.”

The president went on to note that the government plans to hand out queue numbers to Venezuelans planning to come to Brazil with a view to better controlling their entry and offer better conditions for public services to be provided to both Brazilians and Venezuelans.

“Since some 700, 800 Venezuelans come in every day, vaccination and organization issues arise. So we thought of a system with queue numbers, so that one to two hundred people are allowed in and the inflow may become more orderly.”

Márcio Freitas, Temer’s special press secretary, said the possibility has been studied and that a final decision is yet to be reached.