Brazil has re-opened its northern border with Venezuela after briefly closing it, BBC said. Many thousands of Venezuelans have fled into Brazil or Colombia in search of a better life over the past three years.
Brazil’s Supreme Court overturned an earlier order to shut the frontier until Brazil could put in place the right conditions to receive the huge influx of people who have to leave Venezuela because of total crisis. According to Roraima’s authorities, at least, 500 Venezuelans cross the border every day. The Brazilian border was re-opened to Venezuelan migrants after a few hours on Monday. Sea and air borders were unaffected by the ruling.
“It is not justified to take the easy path to ‘close the doors’ because of difficulties in hosting refugees,”
Supreme Court justice Rosa Weber said in her ruling issued shortly before midnight.
An apparent assassination attempt on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro at the weekend has raised tensions in the country even further. But the flood of migrants has severely stretched health and education services in the poor state of Roraima. A judge Barret said there is no point in welcoming Venezuelan immigrants if they are going to be subjected to equal or more degrading conditions here.
Most who have crossed the border to Brazil in recent months are living in appalling conditions on the streets of the Boa Vista, the impoverished state capital of Roraima, in the heart of the Amazon region. The UNHCR’s Jardim Floresta Camp is trying to cope with the influx. Over three years, the Venezuelan crisis impacts the life of the neighbouring countries, Brazil and Colombia. Despite the full destruction of the Venezuelan economy, its people voted again for Nicolas Maduro who continued to serve as a President since 2013.
