Temer talks to Pence about picking up Brazilian children in US

The information was reported by Brazil’s ambassador to the US

Published on 26/06/2018 - 17:19 By Pedro Rafael Vilela and Ana Cristina Campos - Brasília

After taking part in the lunch ceremony held to welcome US vice-President Mike Pence at the Brazilian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday (Jun. 26), Brazil’s Ambassador to US Sergio Amaral said that President Michel Temer talked about the possibility of picking up the Brazilian immigrant children taken to shelters in the US after illegally crossing the Mexican border with their parents.

“He said he was willing to have the children picked up if necessary, within the boundaries of the [US immigration] law,” he said to journalists shortly before the joint press statement Temer and Pence made in the afternoon at the Itamaraty Palace, seat of the Foreign Ministry.

The federal government has confirmed that 51 Brazilian children have been separated from their parents and taken to US shelters, the ambassador reported, adding that this figure can be even higher. Amaral went on to say that Pence was thankful for the cooperation offered by Temer, which is in keeping with the relations between the two nations. Pence did not give a definitive answer regarding the possibility of Brazil’s sending a Brazilian Air Force aircraft to remove the children kept in the country.

“Delicate matter”

“I said [to vice-President Mike Pence] that this is an extremely delicate matter for both the Brazilian society and government. This is precisely why I called for special attention in ensuring families are reunited promptly. I thank vice-President Pence for the willingness he showed in our working together in search of a solution,” Temer said.

 

O presidente Michel Temer e o vice-presidente do EUA, Mike Pence, durante declaração à imprensa, no Palácio Itamaraty.
Temer and Pence joint statement. - Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

Translation: Fabrício Ferreira -  Edition: Denise Griesinger / Mariana Branco

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