The United States is preparing for the incoming Trump administration to change policies toward migrants and refugees drastically. If even a fraction of what has been proposed is carried out – including drastic cuts to asylum access, mass deportations, and potential internment of various groups of migrants – large numbers of refugees and migrants in the United States are at risk. These policies will no doubt have ripple effects throughout the region. Now more than ever, states need to solidify effective laws and policies that protect refugee rights. Brazil’s refugee policy response to Venezuelan refugees is one example that should be upheld and copied.
Brazil hosts large numbers of refugees and migrants from Venezuela – and will potentially see more people coming in the aftermath of the recent election crisis in Venezuela. Brazil’s model for responding to Venezuelan migration provides important lessons for other countries in the hemisphere. Unlike many other countries that erect restrictive policies designed to keep migrants out, Brazil has upheld an open-door policy since 2017, facilitating the reception of migrants in border cities and allowing for their regularization, and for some, relocation elsewhere in the country.
Rather than forcing displaced people to remain in border areas where they enter – which are often underdeveloped and lacking resources and infrastructure to respond – Brazil has built a strategy under its Operação Acolhida (Operation Welcome) program to relocate Venezuelan immigrants and refugees to parts of the country where they can work and rebuild their lives. This means that these refugees are more likely to find jobs, support themselves, and contribute to their local economies. Indeed, Brazil’s open door policy has allowed 98% of Venezuelan nationals to have a regular migratory status or guarantees of international protection. Above all, Brazil’s approach has ensured a more orderly migration, with reduced risks for migrants and refugees.
Brazil should continue, expand, and improve this program, and the rest of the world should take note. Refugee-hosting countries can learn from this approach, realizing the “win-win” option that benefits both refugees and host communities with the economic inclusion of displaced people.
Of some 7.7 million Venezuelans who have fled in recent years, nearly half a million have sought refuge in Brazil. They have fled widespread political and economic instability, corruption, persecution and institutional collapse. Political dissidents have been jailed and seen widespread rights violations, and many families cannot access adequate food, medicine, or education. Of those going to Brazil, most enter through the northern state of Roraima, an isolated region, nestled in the Amazon. Like most refugee-hosting areas, the communities least able to respond and assist migrants are often the ones receiving the highest numbers. Indeed, Roraima ranks among Brazil’s poorest regions.
While many refugee-hosting countries build closed camps that restrict refugees’ freedom of movement and right to work, Brazil has taken the unusual and welcome decision to relocate some Venezuelan refugees and migrants to other cities in Brazil where they may have a network, and where jobs are more plentiful. This part of Operação Acolhida, known as the “interiorization program,” has alleviated some pressure on Roraima and reduced tensions with the local community.
The program has proven successful. In all, about a quarter of the Venezuelan population in Brazil has been relocated, many in partnership with private sector actors in more than 930 cities throughout the country. About two-thirds of Venezuelans under Operação Acolhida are able to reunite with friends or family who can provide housing and support in other parts of the country. Some 12% of migrants are relocated through the institutional modality, in which they are transferred from shelters in Roraima to other shelters in destination cities, coordinated by public agencies or partner NGOs. Another 15.2% of the program’s beneficiaries are resettled for employment opportunities. In these cases, partner companies offer jobs and support for transportation to the hiring destination.
Operação Acolhida ensures background checks on companies to prevent labor exploitation, along with social support for up to three months from both the companies and partner agencies of the UN and civil society organizations. Participants also receive documentation (including a national work permit and entry in the Individual Taxpayer Registry) and immunizations.
Granted, not all refugees and migrants want to be relocated. Some choose to remain in Roraima, perhaps hoping to return home or to stay close so they can check on property or loved ones still in Venezuela. Nonetheless, their presence has also boasted growth for that local economy.
However, there is room for improvement in Operação Acolhida. Venezuelan refugees arriving in Brazil face a range of risks and can find themselves in vulnerable positions. The program needs further safeguards to ensure their rights and reduce the potential for exploitation. Increased monitoring of their treatment at all stages, for example, is needed, especially as the military carrying out Operation Welcome may have limited training in humanitarian and human rights work. Authorities should also implement greater security in shelters, and a comprehensive evaluation of the partners involved in the resettlement strategy, including follow-up and post-relocation assessments of beneficiaries in other cities across the country.
Overall, however, other countries hosting refugees should take note: Brazil has a model that can lessen the strain on receiving communities and benefit the rest of the country with the skills, knowledge and contributions of refugees and migrants. Rather than viewing refugees and migrants as a burden or threat, Brazil is recognizing that upholding the rights of refugees under domestic and international obligations can actually benefit the wider country, as well as migrants and refugees.
The model holds promise for refugee situations in the Americas and around the world, where fatigued donors and beleaguered hosts try to push refugees to the margins, denying rights and even sending them back to dangerous places. A model where refugees can access work opportunities, and the full range of rights should be the future of refugee response.
Autor
PhD in Public Policy, Strategies, and Development from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He is the founder and president of the NGO Venezuela Global, based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
PhD in International Relations from the University of Oxford. Senior Researcher at Refugees International, where she leads the organisation's labour market access work.
