Brazil working on plan to accommodate refugees from Venezuela, minister says

Defense Minister Raul Jungmann said on Monday (May 15) during an interview in Pernambuco state that Brazil is preparing to officially welcome Venezuelan refugees fleeing a violent political crisis, uncontrolled inflation, and food shortage in their country.

The conflict in Venezuela worsened this year with clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters and police forces, which have left more than 30 dead and 700 wounded.

Asked how the government is planning to deal with a growing influx of Venezuelans, especially in the Northern Brazilian state of Roraima, which shares a border with the country, Jungmann said a “contingency plan” is being drawn up to respond in the event of a deterioration in the tensions between the government and the opposition in Venezuela. The government of Roraima estimates about 30,000 people have crossed the border into the state and, by last December, the government had declared a Public Health Emergency of National Concern in the municipalities of Pacaraima and Boa Vista due to the migration flows.

“I've been to Colombia and now I'm going to meet with Peruvians in Tabatinga [a municipality in Brazil's Amazonas state on the border with Peru and Colombia ]. It seems there's no compromise solution on the horizon, so Brazil is preparing to accommodate refugees. We also have a meeting this week with the UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees,” the minister said (UNHCR stands for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.)

Jungmann did not give details on the plan because it is confidential, but pointed out the initiative “is as much about refugees as it's about Brazilians and the integrity and safety of Brazilians in Venezuela.”

US troops

The Defense Minister also commented on a BBC Brazil report that US troops had been invited by the Brazilian government to join a military drill on the triple Amazon border shared by Brazil, Peru and Colombia, to take place in November. Jungmann denied US troops are coming to Brazil, saying US military were invited merely as observers to the so-called Operação América Unida (Operation United America).

“The United States has no military actions in Brazil—this is not true. The truth is there will be a drill with other South American countries, and we'll have observers from the United States, India, Russia” and other countries, he said.

Translated by Mayra Borges