Roraima seeks to discuss relocation of Venezuelans with other states

State officials asked the Supreme Court to hold a special hearing

Published on 20/08/2018 - 20:37 By Alex Rodrigues - Brasília

Roraima state authorities asked Brazil’s Supreme Court to order a conciliation hearing with representatives from the federal government and the 26 other states to address the humanitarian crisis caused by the increasing number of Venezuelan immigrants seeking refuge in Brazil over the last two years.

In the motion lodged by the state’s Prosecutor-General’s Office, the government of Roraima stresses the need for federal officials to come up with a plan for the resettlement of immigrants across the country, and the necessary financial compensation measures that may arise as a result in each state.

“We’re asking the federal and state governments to sit at the table so we can discuss the introduction of migration quotas in order for each state to be able to partake in this responsibility,” Roraima Prosecutor-General Ernani Batista said Monday (20).

“Since the beginning, Roraima has shown solidarity towards the Venezuelan people, but we need the other states to play an active role in offering shelter as well,” Batista said.

The prosecutor noted that, under the law, the states and municipalities that receive the highest number of immigrants are entitled to have the financial funding earmarked for them by the federal government recalculated. This mitigates the burden taken up by public service providers, which comes as a result of the sudden increase in population.

“Do not think that we are against [the presence of immigrants], or that we are prejudiced. We’ve always had good relations with Venezuela, but now we’re under considerably pressure,” Batista said, mentioning health care and public security services as well as the Judiciary, which has been given the responsibility over the enforcement of the rights of Venezuelans sheltered in the state.

This morning, Sergio Etchegoyen, head of the Cabinet for Institutional Security, rebutted the criticism by Roraima governor Suely Campos, who stated that the measures unveiled by the federal government after the recent conflicts between Brazilians and Venezuelans last Saturday (18) in Pacaraima, are essentially the same ones she had been requesting for two years.

Etchegoyen stated that the federal government has worked hard to speed up the relocation of Venezuelans throughout the country and to ensure the security and well-being of the population, without leaving aside a dignified treatment for the Venezuelans.

Translation: Fabrício Ferreira -  Edition: Sabrina Craide / Mariana Branco

Latest news