Brazil defense minister: Offering assistance to Venezuelans not a local issue
Brazil's government pledged to offer more help to the northern state of Roraima in a bid to seek an answer to the problems arising from the large number of Venezuelan immigrants in the state, especially in the capital Boa Vista.
Forty thousand Venezuelan nationals are reported to have settled in the city after escaping the economic and political crisis facing the neighboring country. This Thursday (Feb 8), a team of officials from several ministries set off from Brasília headed for Boa Vista to meet with local authorities. Some of the immigrants were also heard.
The mission was formed by Justice Minister Torquato Jardim, Defense Minister Raul Jungmann, and head of the Institutional Security Cabinet General Sergio Etchegoyen.
While talking to journalists, Jardim said that the government has been considering measures to bolster its involvement on national borders, in addition to devising efforts to help documented immigrants to settle down and stay in the country, thus mitigating the demand for special assistance in Boa Vista.
Jungmann also mentioned the need for a census to gauge the inflow of immigrants. “We know it's an issue that must be addressed. To solve it, we must learn its exact dimensions,” he argued.
The defense minister went on to say that he was shocked by the immigrants' ordeal, which he termed a “humanitarian issue” after briefly talking to some of the approximately 300 people living in a public square in Boa Vista. They report they have come to Brazil in search of employment and better days.
“These people are not here because they want to. They've been driven here. It's appalling and we must deal with the humanitarian issue taking into account the state's situation. These are circumstances that the whole of Brazil must embrace, because it's not something Roraima or Boa Vista must cope with alone,” Jungmann added.
After leaving the square, the officials proceeded to the seat of the government, where they met with Roraima Governor Suely Campos. Earlier on, the state press office had released a note in which Governor Campos complains that the people of Roraima “have been forced to cope alone with the burden of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis facing the country,” adding that the everyday lives of the population have been impacted.
Suely Campos also denounced organized crime for taking advantage of Venezuelans' vulnerability by co-opting workforce for the trafficking of drugs and heavy weapons.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Brazil defense minister: Offering assistance to Venezuelans not a local issue
