Page 6 - aruba-today-20191214

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 14 december 2019
Brazilians arrive in waves at the U.S.-Mexico border

CEDAR ATTANASIO and with the Northern Triangle mates he's ferried around riving in Massachusetts. Al- claim asylum, Park said.
PHILIP MARCELO families." 200 Brazilians. "These are ready, he says, he's earning Women citing domestic
Associated Press Those initiatives included economic refugees." three times more than what violence reasons are also
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — less likely to win their cases
Growing up along the under tougher asylum rules
U.S.-Mexico border, hotel imposed by the Trump ad-
clerk Joe Luis Rubio never ministration.
thought he'd be trying to "Before these were good
communicate in Portu- cases," Park said. "But it's
guese on a daily basis. just become tougher to ar-
But with hundreds of Bra- gue."
zilians crossing from Ciu- Tourist and student visas
dad Juarez, Mexico, each have been more difficult
week, the Motel 6 by the for Brazilians to get as more
airport has become a step- clamored for them in the
ping stone for thousands of recent economic down-
the Portuguese speakers on turn, says Francis Brink, an
a 6,000-mile (9,500 km) jour- immigration lawyer in Or-
ney from Brazil to El Paso to lando, Florida.
America's East Coast. He has taken a few clients
"Thank God for Google who were persecuted by
Translate or we'd be lost," the government because
says Rubio. they were police officers
The quiet migration of or military officials resist-
around 17,000 Brazilians ing corruption. But he turns
through a single U.S. city in most asylum seekers away,
the past year reveals a new not wanting to give them
frontier in the Trump ad- false hope.
ministration's effort to shut Many single adult Brazilian
down the legal immigration migrants are being held
pathway for people claim- in immigration detention
ing fear of persecution. while their asylum claims
Like hundreds of thousands are processed. Others have
of families from Honduras, tried to dodge detention
El Salvador, and Guate- by pretending to be a par-
mala, known collectively as In this Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 photo Helison Alvarenga, of Brazil, second from left, sits with his ent or a minor, often using
the Northern Triangle, Bra- 6-year-old son, David, left, and 24-year-old wife, Amanda, center, as they use a computer monitor IDs fraudulently obtained
zilians have been crossing while pursuing replacement passports at the New England Community Center, in Stoughton, Mass. in Brazil. Homeland Security
the border here and apply- Associated Press Investigations agents have
ing for asylum. been filing allegations of
Nationwide, some 18,000 making families wait in of- Brazil plunged into its worst- he earned as a mechanic so-called "family fraud" by
Brazilians were appre- ten dangerous Mexican ever recession in 2015 and in Brazil. Brazilians at least a few
hended in the fiscal year border towns for months to 2016 and is headed toward "Things are in pretty bad times per month.
ending in October, a 600% apply for asylum, returning its third consecutive year shape in Brazil right now. On a recent Tuesday, the
increase from the previ- them to Mexico to await of roughly 1% growth. The The only way to have a Motel 6 is half empty, with
ous high in 2016. Brazilians court hearings and a re- economy's persistent fail- better life in Brazil is to go to only two Brazilian families
crossing in the El Paso Sec- cent rule that effectively ure to gain steam means college, but college is very staying there.
tor, which covers South- rejects nearly all asylum joblessness has remained expensive," said Alvaren- In room 127, a 42-year-old
ern New Mexico and West claims, regardless of merit . stubbornly in the double- ga, speaking in Portuguese mother from Maranhão is
Texas, accounted for 95% The result has been a mish- digits, with the most recent through a translator. in bed watching TV. She's
of the apprehensions na- mash of pseudo deporta- reading at 11.6%. Adding The New England winter waiting with her 16-year
tionwide, according to U.S. tions to countries where underemployment, the fig- has also been tougher than old son for a flight to Phila-
Customs and Border Pro- migrants have never lived ure more than doubles to he expected, he admits. delphia, where they have
tection. and where they face barri- almost one quarter of the "It makes me homesick. family.
On Monday, acting CBP ers to work or access to ba- work force, or 27 million I miss the warmth and She said they spent four
chief Mark Morgan vowed sic social services. people. the sun," he said. "If I won days in a Border Patrol tent
to try to shut down asylum Brazilian families are not Massachusetts officials enough on a scratch ticket, detention camp before
for migrants from outside held indefinitely in deten- and community leaders I'd go back tomorrow." being released.
Spanish-speaking Central tion but instead released to say they've felt the surge in Many coming from Brazil "It was miserable," she said.
America and South Ameri- Annunciation House, a net- Brazilian migrants this past are petitioning for asylum, While stays at the Motel 6
ca. work of shelters, where they year, with more families citing the country's high un- are down, more migrants
"We're seeing, again, indi- can stay for a few days seeking immigration servic- employment and persistent are staying for longer at
viduals from extraterritorial while they arrange flights to es and enrolling their chil- corruption and violence, Annunciation House, ac-
countries, extra-continen- other cities in the U.S. dren in public school. The says Luciano Park, an immi- cording to the shelter's di-
tal, come in from Brazil, Hai- They're often taken to the state has the second larg- gration lawyer in Waltham rector, Ruben Garcia.
ti, Africans," said Morgan. airport in a minivan driven est population of Brazilians who came from Brazil to at- "One of the things that may
He pledged to implement by Phil Porter. in the U.S. after Florida, ac- tend law school in Boston. have changed is we have
rules to bar migrants from "It takes a lot for somebody cording to 2015 U.S. Census But Brazilian asylum seekers Brazilians that don't have
those countries "with the to pack up and leave their data. face an uphill climb. Simply some of the financial re-
same level of commitment country, especially when Recent immigrant Helison seeking to escape Brazil's sources that some of the
that we came up with ini- they're family oriented," Alvarenga says he started chronic, gang-related vio- Brazilians did a while back,"
tiatives to address the issue says Porter, 72, who esti- working the day after ar- lence often isn't enough to Garcia said.q