Statute passed by the Roraima government is contrary to the Migration Law
Measure goes against the Constitution. Migrants required to show passport in order to gain access to public services.
Venezuelan refugees board a Brazilian air force plane in Boa Vista, destined for Manaus and São Paulo.
Statute 25.681/18, passed this week by the Roraima government, restricts access to the state health service to those migrants who can produce a passport. This measure is discriminatory and goes against the Constitution and the new Brazilian Migration Law (13.445/17).
This measure targets the Venezuelan population who, given their extreme economic and social vulnerability, are seeking humanitarian shelter in Brazil and in other countries in the Americas. The Federal Prosecutors’ Office, via the Federal Prosecution for Citizens’ Rights (PFDC) and the Brazilian Public Defender’s Office have expressed their opposition to the measure.
In passing this statute, Governor Suely Campos is disregarding the basic constitutional principals that ensure universal access to health. She also appears to be unaware of policies for controlling epidemics, given that impeding medical attention for a population that may well be in poor health, could have an impact on the rest of the population of Roraima.
The humanitarian crisis that is affecting Venezuela is having a serious, urgent impact on the lives of the population. It is estimated that, since 2014, over 1.5 million people have left the country, According to authorities, 50 thousand Venezuelan migrants and refugees currently live in Brazil — a tiny percentage of the total number.
It is alarming that the government of Roraima – a state that was historically formed by people from other parts of the country and which has been affected by this new migratory flow, due to its location on the border – is taking unilateral, xenophobic measures at a time when federal authorities and civil society are looking for a unified humanitarian response to the issue.
Taking measures to restrict the access of these people to public services will not avert migration. On the contrary, it increases social tension related to migration and weakens a group that is already in a vulnerable situation.
We are appealing to the Governor to revoke the statute and to establish productive dialogue with civil society and municipal and federal authorities to develop public policies for the integration of migrants who want to work, to rebuild their lives and to contribute to Brazilian society.
