Brazil is set to impose restrictions on the entry of some nationals into the country, a move that could help stem the flow of migrants to North America.
The move will start on Monday and impact those from Asian countries requiring visas to remain in the country. Nationals from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam represent the bulk of those who request refuge on arrival. The country has received over 9,000 such petitions through July 15, over twice the amount of 2023 and the most in a decade.
It comes as documents show that many are buying flights with layovers in the country, but rather than continue to the final destination they leave the airport and begin a journey up north, The Associated Press reported. Now, those without visas will either have to continue on the plane or return to their country of origin.
A report by federal police describes "great turmoil" as a result of the influx of migrants at the Guarulhos Airport, in Sao Paulo. "Evidence suggests that those migrants, for the most part, are making use of the known — and extremely dangerous — route that goes from Sao Paulo to the western state of Acre, so they can access Peru and go toward Central America and then, finally, reach the U.S. from its southern border," reads a passage of the report.
Police said it is convinced that there is a "consolidated route of irregular migration in Brazil, with a strong presence of people who are involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, with an evident fraudulent use of the application for refugee status."
Brazil is the latest of several countries from the region which have recently imposed restrictions of the kind. In June, Ecuador announced the suspension of a visa waiver agreement with China following a surge of arrivals that authorities say then go on to migrate irregularly.
The country's Foreign Ministry called the trend "worrying" and said it noticed that about half of all arrivals from Chinese nationals to the country then didn't leave "through regular routes" within the 90 days they are allowed to stay under the agreement. The agreement had come into effect in 2016.
According to the U.S. Niskanen Center, Ecuadorian authorities recorded 48,381 arrivals in 2023 but records only show 24,240 departures. The disparity was the largest of all nationalities.
More recently, Panama began conducting U.S.-funded deportation flights for migrants apprehended at the Darien Gap, the treacherous jungle path used by hundreds of thousands of migrants on their way up north.
A group of 29 Colombians with criminal records were the first to be returned, BBC reported. The U.S. has committed to "remove foreign nationals who do not have a legal basis to remain in Panama."
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said the flights will be headed to Colombia, the country where they start their journeys through the Darien Gap. It is unclear whether there will be other flights from Colombia to the countries of origin of other apprehended migrants.
Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have reached their lowest levels since President Joe Biden took office, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released this week. In fact, CBP reported 56,408 migrant encounters between ports of entry in July which signifies an 80% drop from last December in which Illegal crossings surged to their highest-ever level.
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