Brazil Should Do More for Venezuela's Refugees and Migrants

Venezuela's protracted political and economic crisis is reaching a breaking point. Over the past few months thousands of Venezuelans fled across the border to seek sanctuary in northern Brazil, many of them taking only what they could carry on their backs. Although the humanitarian emergency has been brewing for some time, the Brazilian authorities appear woefully under-prepared to deal with the influx. According to one recent arrival, Merlina Ferreira, “In Venezuela, I was a psychologist and my husband a lawyer. Here in Brazil, he unloads trucks and I look after our small children since daycare is too costly." More…