Politics

Brazilian politicians campaign on anti-Venezuelan platform

Candidates in northern state of Roraima have promised to "end privileges" for impoverished Venezuelan refugees

Venezuelan migrants in Roraima
Venezuelan migrants relocate to a shelter in Northern Brazil. Photo: Alex Pazuello/Semcom/AM

Brazil is home to roughly 260,000 Venezuelan nationals, of which approximately 46,000 are refugees who fled social, economic, and political chaos in their home country. The majority of these migrants settled in the northern Brazilian state of Roraima, which sits on the Venezuelan border. There are an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 Venezuelan refugees currently living in Roraima’s state capital Boa Vista — many of them on the streets, in degrading conditions.

And this influx of humans in an already small and economically vulnerable city has led to a series of conflicts among the local population, as well as a growing anti-Venezuelan sentiment.

Life for the Venezuelan migrants in Roraima is not easy, with many living off food donations and struggling to build shelters. Now, with the municipal elections approaching, they have been victims of xenophobic attacks from several of the state’s mayoral candidates.

“Venezuelan people will have no privileges”

The phenomenon of xenophobia in Roraima’s municipal elections gained national attention thanks to a social media post from Boa Vista mayoral candidate Antônio Carlos Nicoletti, from the Social Liberal Party, which Jair Bolsonaro represented during his 2018 presidential election. Mr. Nicoletti exclaimed that “Venezuelans will have no privileges” under his government, though did not explain exactly which privileges will be taken from the state’s migrants. He denies that his...

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