After months, Cumbica International Airport, in Guarulhos (SP), stopped having Afghans camped in its corridors this week. At the peak of the migratory flow, in October of last year, the airport housed around 300 people from Afghanistan in Terminal 2. These people arrived in the country and, without receiving adequate reception or assistance provided by law, ended up setting up tents in an improvised way in the corridors of Terminal 2. The Agência Brasil report visited the place several times and observed that the welcoming work was done mainly by a network of volunteers. This does not mean, however, that the problem has already been fully resolved. Activist Swany Zenobini reported that, since last Friday (3), these immigrants have been quickly sent to public, religious or volunteer shelters that have been made available for reception. However, this scenario could change at any time as they continue to arrive in Guarulhos almost daily. “We know that there may come a time when we may have a backlog of Afghans at the airport because there are still 2,000 of them to arrive. [ao Brasil]. But, for the time being, we have had many reasons to breathe a sigh of relief”, she told Agência Brasil. Last week, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) were at the airport to verify the flow of Afghan migrants. At the time, 30 Afghans were still living in the corridors of Terminal 2. “We are committed within the scope of the Ministry of Justice to implement a definitive solution for the humanitarian reception of the Afghan population that has arrived in our country. It is essential to strengthen asylum policies to deal with this migratory flow, with a humanitarian look at the needs of these people who arrive from a territory with this serious and widespread violation of human rights,” said Sheila de Carvalho, president of the National Committee for Refugees. Refugees (Conare), during the site visit. Also last week, the government of São Paulo inaugurated a new space to welcome Afghans who continue to arrive in Brazil. Casa de Passagem was called Terra Nova and started to offer 50 vacancies for families, single men and women. “It is a very important humanitarian action for people who were forced to leave their country. Many of them face the most challenging days of their lives. By welcoming them, the government of the state of São Paulo offers these refugees and their families all support and an opportunity to start over”, said the state secretary for Social Development, Gilberto Nascimento, in a note. According to the government of São Paulo, Casa de Passagem offers shelter, food and vaccines. In the space, those welcomed also have a document issuing service and are included in the Single Registry (CadÚnico) for access to social assistance programs and benefits. The stay on site is initially 90 days, but the period can be extended. The idea is that those welcomed gain their autonomy and leave the place when they manage to stand on their own. The secretariat, however, informs that the majority of Afghans who arrive in Brazil do not remain in the country. History These people have been fleeing Afghanistan since Taliban radicals took power in 2021. Brazil became the destination of these Afghans when an interministerial ordinance was published in September 2021, authorizing the temporary visa and residence for reasons humanitarian. Armed with this humanitarian visa, the Afghans began to disembark at Cumbica Airport, in Guarulhos, imagining that, under the Migration Law (Law No. to social programs and benefits. But that’s not what happened. Arriving in Brazil, these immigrants were without any assistance support or public reception policy. They only received food provided by the city hall and, mainly, by volunteers, who visited them daily. Some of these immigrants found places in shelters, but many had to sleep at the airport, a situation that had been happening until last week. According to the Ministry of Justice, Brazil issued 6,302 humanitarian visas to Afghans between September 1, 2021 and December 6, 2022. Of this total, 3,367 landed at Guarulhos Airport between January and October of last year. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assisted 1,035 Afghan people. Most are men between 18 and 59 years old (490) and women in the same age group (248). Of these 738 people, 50.4% have university degrees and 6.5% are postgraduates.
Agência Brasil
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