Relocation of Venezuelans in Brazil starts in April

The relocation of Venezuelan immigrants who came to Roraima state, in north Brazil, starts in April. Roraima state authorities announced they are to be resettled in the cities of São Paulo, in south eastern Brazil, and Manaus, in the neighboring state of Amazonas.

The plan is to take them to states more well-prepared to welcome them, and to address the overpopulation issue in Roraima—which shares borders with Venezuela and has become one of the main routes for immigrants from that country, especially through the town of Pacaraima.

São Paulo was allotted to receive 300 immigrants. The city is to receive 185 people first (115 men, 71 women) who will be sent to nine housing units: four of them specially directed at immigrants, and five shelters for the homeless. In Manaus, 180 spaces are expected to be made available.

Relocating immigrants is inevitable—regardless of the efforts made by the federal government—due to the overwhelming pressure facing Roraima, said NGO Conectas, which has monitored the situation with which Venezuelan immigrants are being forced to cope.

“[Those to be sent to São Paulo] are men and women who are single. We decided to start with these people as a test. We want to do this in the most organized and humane fashion possible in order to assess the possibilities for families and children, but we want to be responsible in the beginning so we can learn from this experience,” said São Paulo Municipal Secretary for Social Work Filipe Sabará.

When asked about the negative experience of receiving Haitians from 2014 to 2016, when many of them did not adapt to their designated places, the secretary said that these immigrants had been allocated old hostels designed for the homeless, which did not have the infrastructure required for their needs. Now, he argues, even though some of the shelters were originally meant for homeless people, they are recently built, inaugurated in the recent past, and boast the best infrastructure.

“[These shelter centers] are well equipped—with dormitories, bathrooms, showers, computer rooms, rooms for individual therapy, and study rooms. These are quality services that make welcoming these people  possible. We’re also working in collaboration with the Health Secretariat,” he said.

Another factor hindering the relocation of Haitians, who came from the state of Acre, was the decision to send them to other states without the coordination with local authorities and without the mediation of the federal government.

“That was a unilateral decision by Acre’s state authorities, and was rather problematic, as the Haitians were not properly informed of where they were being relocated. The fact that not even the state and the city governments were aware of that led to these people being expelled from the city and no preparation was made to shelter them,” said Camila Assano, a member of both Conectas and the National Human Rights Council (CNDH).

Even though Colombia receives most of the people leaving Venezuela—as they share both national borders and a common language—Brazil has become a major alternative. Data from Conectas indicate that 600 thousand Venezuelan entered Colombia in the latter period of the crisis, but the country has shut its border on a few occasions and started demanding a passport from immigrants.

In Brazil, some 32 thousand Venezuelans are reported to have applied for refugee status or requested a temporary resident permit since 2015, when the inflow of immigrants started. But the immigration wave has become even more intense, as many have returned to their country to bring family members over or to take money to those who stayed. Approximately 600–800 Venezuelans come into Brazil on a daily basis, without necessarily settling down in the country.

Collaboration and costs

The majority of Venezuelan immigrants in Roraima (72%) are aged 20–39 years old, 78% have graduated from high school, and 32% hold a college degree or have an even higher level of education. The figures come from a survey conducted by the National Immigration Council (CNIg), which found that, given immigrants’ profile, they have great potential “to become fully integrated with Brazilian society and its labor market.”

The research also revealed that resettlement policies are highly accepted among Venezuelan immigrants in Roraima—77% of respondents said they were willing to relocate to other states in case the Brazilian government offered support. Job offers in other places in Brazil are the main reason (80%), followed by economic aids (11.2%), and housing allowances (5.2%). Also striking is that a mere 25% plan on going back to Venezuela. Of those who do consider returning, the majority estimate over two years to do so (47%), but also argue that this would depend on improvements in economic conditions (61%).

In order to integrate Venezuelan immigrants into the labor market in São Paulo, Sabará said there is a Portuguese language learning program and also other joint initiatives designed to facilitate the contact between job applicants and employers. “We’ve kept in touch with consulates from Spanish-speaking countries, so that they can contact companies, in both Spain and Latin American countries, to make it easy for these people to enter the country and become integrated with the labor market as quickly as possible.”

Andrea Zamur, municipal secretary for human rights and coordinator for policies for immigrants and the promotion of dignified employment, noted that the city was the first to bring the Center for Immigrant Reference and Assistance (CRAI) into operation, back in 2014—a place where immigrants can voice their demands and are given advice as to where their issues can be addressed.

“All clerks are immigrants as well, so, in addition to the language, which could otherwise be a main obstacle, they’re also familiar with the issues that may arise from the immigration process. It’s a very important place for us, and a tool for promoting the access to services and rights,” Zamur said.

On federal level, the Ministry of Defense this month earmarked $57.7 million for the emergency assistance to Venezuelan immigrants. The funds are said to be directed towards assistance programs for refugees in Roraima and for enhancing border control operations.

“The following actions are to be implemented: construction of shelters, expansion of existing facilities, installation of screening and identification stations, logistic support for the transport of immigrants, and  bolstering of border surveillance. The funds will be used on demand, as initiatives are carried out. The funding will be first used for the acquisition of articles of personal hygiene, special food for children, and the improvement of existing centers, in order to provide immigrants with dignified conditions,” the ministry reported.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira