As the fifth-largest country by both area and population, Brazil is the largest country in South America and Latin America and receives more refugees than any other country in the region. Brazil is also the only country in the Americas to have Portuguese as the official language.

The country is both a regional power in Latin America and a middle power in international affairs. Due to its recognition as an emerging global power, Brazil has been identified as a shelter to refugees and migrants. Here are 10 facts about Brazil refugees:

1. As of 2016, Brazil has about 2,100 refugees living in the country.
2. Brazil receives more displaced people from Syria than any other country in Latin America.
3. As of 2013, Brazil issued 8,000 humanitarian visas under more simplified conditions to allow survivors of the Syrian war to claim asylum in the country.
4. Due to these visas, Brazil has had approximately 2,000 refugees settle in the country.
5. Brazil’s refugees are able to receive informal, temporary employment in the services and retail industry.
6. Refugees in Brazil are considered by some to be an unnecessary cost and security threat due to the country’s deep economic recession.
7. Asylum-seekers in Brazil have a higher education than the average Brazilian.
8. The Brazilian government wants to limit the intake of refugees due to the country’s economic woes.
9. Brazilian refugees will now be faced with the country’s recalibration of its foreign policy.
10. Brazil’s refugees have the right to work, access to education, and health care.

In recent years, Brazil has been praised for the country’s humanitarian efforts and openness to asylum seekers. As of recently, questions of the country’s ability to aid refugees have plagued the government amid the country distancing itself from developing nations and experiencing the worst recession in its memory.

– Rochelle R. Dean

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