Brazil tightens visa-free entry rules to prevent illegal immigration to the US

Brazil announced Wednesday that it will tighten its visa-free entry rules in an attempt to stop illegal immigration to North America, especially to the United States and Canada.

It will do so after the Brazilian Federal Police assured that it had detected that more and more Asian migrants were buying stopover tickets at São Paulo's international airport.

However, instead of continuing their journey to the final destination, they stayed in the country and attempted to illegally enter the United States and Canada. They do so, as various police sources revealed to The Straits Times, by crossing the dangerous Darién Gap, which connects Colombia and Panama.

"They request refuge [in Brazil] as a guarantee. If they are caught at the U.S. border, they are sent back to Brazil instead of their home country."Brazilian police source

This information is corroborated by one of the documents which was accessed by CNN. In the brief, it was assured that "evidence suggests that those migrants, in their majority, are making use of the known — and extremely dangerous — route that goes from São Paulo to the western state of Acre, so they can access Peru and go toward Central America and then, finally, reach the U.S. from its southern border."

For this reason, the Brazilian Ministry of Public Security assured that, starting next Monday, only foreign travelers with Brazilian visas will be able to enter the country. Those who do not have one and have to make a stopover will have to stay at the airport and continue to their final destination or return to their country of origin. The measure is one step being taken by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government to try to stop illegal immigration both inside and outside its borders.