When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Sources

Brazil's Border Town - New Illegal Immigrants Crossing Into Booming Nation

Bridge between Brazil and Uruguay (ana_ge)
Bridge between Brazil and Uruguay (ana_ge)
Felipe B�chtold

URUGUAIANA - Deportations, detention centers, �coyotes� helping to stow away immigrants in car trunks and boats to try to cross borders undetected. Although it may sound like a scene along the border between the United States and Mexico, this is instead the deep south of Brazil.

Uruguaiana, a town in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), is located right next to Uruguay and just across the river from Argentina. And it has now become a main crossing point for illegal immigrants hoping to enter Brazil.

In recent months, Brazilian Federal Police have arrested a growing number of people accused of providing accommodation and buying transportation tickets for undocumented foreigners looking to find a new home in Brazil.

Senegalese, Nigerians, Chinese and Haitians have been found this year in Uruguaiana without �minimum conditions to survive,� authorities report. The town has about 125,000 inhabitants and is close to the main road access between Brazil and Argentina. Police suspects that immigrants come from Buenos Aires and sneak through Uruguaiana, with the aim of heading to big Brazilian urban centers like S�o Paulo, where employment opportunities tend to far outstrip the rest of Latin America.

According to the police, the same route is also used by foreigners bringing in imported black-market goods to be sold in Brazil without paying taxes�they are called "sacoleiros", a reference to the big bags (sacolas) that are used to transport the large amount of products. Other foreigners arrive in the area with the intention of joining criminal organizations in Brazil, the police say.

Boats and taxis

Crossing into Brazil in small boats is more common in areas with a lighter police presence. Taxi drivers also help foreigners by hiding them in their cars for an extra fee. In June, a Brazilian and an Argentinean were arrested crossing the river by boat with an undocumented African man. They charged fees beginning at $100 for the service.

Perhaps the most mysterious case occurred two weeks ago. Two Chinese men were arrested for guiding 12 other people from China into Brazil. Most of them were young, none had any official identity documents. Their destiny and motivation are still unknown. One of the leaders had a fixed residence in S�o Paulo, according to the police. The other one had ten fake driver licenses. All 12 Chinese claimed to be tourists.

During the same week, four others suspected of being �coyotes� (human traffickers) were arrested�three Brazilians and one Argentinean.

In Brazil, those convicted of involvement in illegal immigration face up to three years in prison.

Read the original article in Portuguese

Photo - ana_ge

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Do We Need Our Parents When We Grow Up? Doubts Of A Young Father

As his son grows older, Argentine journalist Ignacio Pereyra wonders when a father is no longer necessary.

Do We Need Our Parents When We Grow Up? Doubts Of A Young Father

"Is it true that when I am older I won’t need a papá?," asked the author's son.

Ignacio Pereyra

It’s 2am, on a Wednesday. I am trying to write about anything but Lorenzo (my eldest son), who at four years old is one of the exclusive protagonists of this newsletter.

You see, I have a whole folder full of drafts — all written and ready to go, but not yet published. There’s 30 of them, alternatively titled: “Women who take on tasks because they think they can do them better than men”; “As a father, you’ll always be doing something wrong”; “Friendship between men”; “Impressing everyone”; “Wanderlust, or the crisis of monogamy”, “We do it like this because daddy say so”.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest