Stranded Migrants in Sao Paulo Face Alarming Conditions Amid Entry Rule Changes

Hundreds of migrants from India, Nepal, and Vietnam are stuck in Sao Paulo's international airport under dire conditions. The Brazilian government plans to tighten entry rules on Monday, complicating the situation. The migrants face restricted movement and lack basic necessities, raising humanitarian concerns.

Hundreds of migrants from India, Nepal, and Vietnam have been stranded at Sao Paulo's international airport for weeks, facing alarming conditions as they await entry into Brazil, according to the Public Defender's Office and documents reviewed by Reuters on Friday.

A spokesperson from the Public Defender's Office disclosed that a 39-year-old migrant from Ghana died two weeks ago under unknown circumstances. It remains uncertain if he passed away at the airport or en route to a hospital. Currently, 666 migrants without visas are waiting at Guarulhos Airport, with looming uncertainty as the Brazilian government plans to impose stricter entry regulations on Monday to curb the flow of foreigners using Brazil as a transit point to the U.S. and Canada.

The migrants are confined to a restricted area lacking shower facilities, with limited mobility impeding their access to food and water. Children and adolescents are suffering from the winter cold without blankets, as their health deteriorates. The Public Defender's Office has called for urgent improvements to their conditions while their status is being resolved, urging authorities to adhere to Brazil's humanitarian legislation.

Starting Monday, foreign travelers without Brazilian visas must immediately continue to their final destination or return home, according to the public security ministry. Brazil has seen a rise in travelers from Asia claiming refugee status but intending to travel north. The new rules will not allow these passengers to stay in Brazil without a visa, though it is unclear if they will affect migrants already at the airport.

Immigration experts express concerns that these rules contradict the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, which Brazil is a party to. Jean Uema, head of Brazil's refugee committee, clarified that the new rules would specifically apply to Sao Paulo airport and would not alter Brazil's asylum seeker policies.

(With inputs from agencies.)