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In just a year, the number of Venezuelans sent back to their home country from the Brazilian state of Roraima rose 824 percent. While last year there were only 54 cases of deportation, 2016 has seen that number of deported Venezuelan nationals climb to a staggering 445 – and we still have two months left to go.
Roraima’s government estimates that about 30,000 Venezuelan citizens have crossed the border and settled in towns such as Pacaraima, or the capital of the state, Boa Vista. These immigrants are motivated to enter Brazil primarily for economic reasons.
Most of these individuals are in Brazilian territory with irregular visa situations. Still, the federal government says that the number of Venezuelan seeking political refuge grows each year. In 2013 there were 54 applications, 208 in 2014, 825 in 2015, and this year already 1,805.
To receive the status of a political refugee, however, a person should provide evidence that his or her life is in danger, or that he or she is suffering unjust persecution because of political reasons. Economic migrants, which seem to constitute the majority of Venezuelans crossing the Brazilian border, do not qualify for refugee status.
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