Summary Approximately 666 migrants from Asian countries are stranded at São Paulo airport without visas to enter Brazil. New Brazilian government rules requiring transit passengers to continue or return complicate migrants' situations. Migrants face poor conditions at GRU airport, with limited access to necessities like food and water.
Migrants from Asian countries such as India, Nepal, and Vietnam have been stranded under poor conditions at São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in Brazil. Awaiting entry to Brazil According to the Public Defender's Office and documents reviewed by the news agency Reuters , approximately 666 people have been waiting at GRU airport without visas to enter Brazil. Some of the migrants who are trying to enter the country as asylum seekers have been waiting at the airport for weeks now.
The situation is complicated by upcoming changes in government entry rules, which will take effect on August 26, 2024. Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced that transit passengers arriving in Brazil without a visa and whose final destination is another country will be required to continue their journey or return to their place of origin, according to Agencia Brasil . The new rules are reportedly designed to stop foreigners from using Brazil as a stopover on their way to North America.
Senior Brazilian officials told Reuters on August 21, 2024, that investigations show the migrants are trying to stay in Brazil because they face per.