{"id":31297,"date":"2021-04-23T14:27:39","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T14:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/?post_type=noticia&p=31297"},"modified":"2021-05-03T13:33:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T13:33:03","slug":"the-difficulties-faced-by-venezuelan-migrants-in-brazil-during-the-pandemic-2","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/the-difficulties-faced-by-venezuelan-migrants-in-brazil-during-the-pandemic-2\/","title":"The difficulties faced by Venezuelan migrants in Brazil during the pandemic","content":"

In March, Sister Ana Maria da Silva, a 60-year-old nun, was taken to the local police station for questioning after Federal, Military and Civil police officers raided a refugee shelter that she was helping to supervise in Pacaraima, in the northern state of Roraima. The shelter, run by Pastoral do Migrante (the Catholic Church\u2019s migrant outreach service), was accommodating nearly 55 Venezuelan women and children. The plan was for these families to be deported, but they ended up being accepted by the Opera\u00e7\u00e3o Acolhida (Operation Welcome) migrant program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was the world\u2019s biggest drug dealer,\u201d Sister Ana Maria told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. \u201cThey came in here without a warrant and took me to the station in the police car. My crime? Sheltering pregnant women and children who would otherwise be on the streets.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Federal Public Defender\u2019s Office and the Federal Prosecutor\u2019s Office, which took legal action to stop the deportation by the federal government, the officers did not have warrants and they entered the shelter armed and hooded.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The police raid in Pacaraima is far from being the only threat to migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Brazil. According to Camila Asano, program director at Conectas, many of the migrants who are already documented face economic hardship, finding themselves in a vulnerable situation. It is worth noting that the emergency income support program, to which many are entitled, has been halted or reinstated paying insignificant amounts. Moreover, many of those who arrive with academic qualifications are unable to work in their profession on account of the requirement to validate their diplomas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An even worse situation is faced by refugees and migrants who arrived <\/span>after March 2020<\/b><\/span><\/a>, when the pandemic was declared. Inter-Ministerial Decree No. 652, which came into force on January 25, 2021, for example, has barred entry by land to Brazil for anyone coming from Venezuela, even though tourists of any nationality have been allowed to enter the country since the middle of last year. When questioned by Conectas, the government said the measure was determined by the health regulator Anvisa. The regulator, however, <\/span>denied any such guideline<\/b><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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